Out of the Mist
by Jazzy Pony
Summary: [Title changed] Cyclonis stumbeles upon a rumor of a crystal more powerful then the Aruora stone. Now it seems that everyone is after Jay. Can the storm hawks help their new friend, or will sacrafices have to be made? AerrowXPiper FinnXOC Summary SUCKS!
1. Midnight Shock

Authors Note: If you are reading this and you haven't read the prequel _Love Conquers All _then you might not really know what is going on. I would **strongly** recommend reading that story first; otherwise you might not understand some things.

Parings: AerrowXPiper, and FinnXOC. (Finn might be ooc)

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, but I do own Jay and anything associated with her.

* * *

**BOOM!**

Piper woke with a start to an exceptionally loud thunder clap. "Wow" she said to herself, "I knew Terra Thundaris was famous for its storms, but this is ridiculous!" It was the third consecutive night of the raging storm and, frankly, Piper was sick of black skies and flashing lightning. "At least I'm warm and dry." She swung her legs over the side of the loft like bed and landed lightly on the floor below. "I have Jay to thank for that."

In her mind, Piper pictured her spirited blonde friend. At 14, Jay was exactly as Piper had thought she would look. Jay was tall and slender with an hour-glass figure that fit her perfectly. Her long limbs allowed her to be both strong and agile.

Memories of Jay flashed through Pipers mind. On in particular stood out. She remembered the day that she had tried to convince Jay to wear her hair down to Sky Fu practice. The look in her royal blue eyes had been hilarious. Jay had agreed but 10 seconds into practice she was scrambling for a hair band.

_Flashback:_

"_It just gets in the way!" Jay had complained pulling her hair up and securing it tightly with a hair band. _

"_But look at all the guys checking you out!" Piper retaliated._

"_Whatever. I don't need them," she said and stalked off to stretch._

_End Flashback_

Piper quietly crept past Jay's door and down the stairs to the second floor hallway. As she was walking past Aerrows door it suddenly opened, causing her to jump.

"Jeez Aerrow! Don't scare my like that!" she whispered.

"Sorry Piper. I was just coming to see if you were awake."

"Well here I am. The storm is keeping me up."

"Me too. Hey, do you want to go get some hot chocolate or something?"

"Sure, that sounds nice." She smiled up at him as the door to the room that Finn and Junko were sharing opened.

"Did I just hear hot chocolate?" Junko whispered loudly as he stepped into the hall. Finn poked a sleepy had out behind him.

"What's this about cho… woah Piper! I've never seen you in pajamas before!"

"Shhhh! Finn! Do you want to wake up the whole house?… that now only being Jay and Stork." Aerrow scolded. He glanced at Piper and noticed her blush as she looked down at her gray sweats and dark orange tank top. "You look great." He said putting an arm around Piper's shoulders. She blushed a shade deeper.

"Eew! Gross! Get a room!" Finn said in a loud whisper turning away.

Piper was about to retaliate when she suddenly put a finger to her lips. The others looked at her and she pointed at Storks door. They fallowed her gaze and saw the door begin to inch open. They stayed dead silent as Stork slipped through the doorway. He had his back turned to them and was acting jittery.

"Stork… what are you doing?"

Stork jumped and turned to face his friends. In one hand he held a wrench and in the other a screwdriver. "Oh… well… you see… I was… uh…"

"You were about to go take apart Jay's Slipstream SE skimmer weren't you." Finn accused.

"No!... o.k. maybe." Stork turned and tossed the tools back into his room. "What are you guys doing up at such an hour?" he said softly.

"Were going to get hot coco!" Junko whispered heading towards the stairs. "Mmmm… and maybe a snack…" He disappeared down the stairwell.

"I'd better go make sure he leaves some food for me" Finn whispered taking off after the wallop.

"And I guess I had better go make sure they leave some food for the rest of us." Stork mumbled, stalking down the stairs.

Piper turned to Aerrow, whose arm was still around her shoulders. "Shall we?" she asked in a low voice.

"What about Jay? Shouldn't we wake her up? I mean it is her house."

"Nah. She can get really grumpy when woken up, trust me. Been there, done that." Piper rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'm sure she won't mind." They walked down the stairs together. They passed the game room and the library before reaching the kitchen where they met up with their friends.

"Just in time!" Junko said, "Now if I could only find the mugs… and the kettle." He rummaged through the cupboards.

"I found the chocolate!" Finn shouted hold up a giant chocolate bar.

"Uh… Finn?" Aerrow held up a tin of hot coco mix.

"Oh. I knew that, I…" Finn trailed off and stared out the window expectantly. The rain lashed against it as the room fell silent. Stork looked from Finn, out into the dark night, and back to Finn.

"What do you see?" Piper whispered peering over the sharpshooters shoulders.

"I could swear that I saw someone outside. Wait for the next flash."

It came suddenly and only lasted a second, but that was all that Aerrow needed.

"I didn't see anything." Piper said straining her eyes against the darkness.

"But I did." Aerrow was already at the back door. "I'm going to check it out."

"I'm going too" Piper said appearing by his side.

"We can't leave you two alone anymore so I'm going also." Finn said.

"Count me in!" Junko called grabbing the chocolate bar from Finn.

"Hey!"

"Ummm…." Stork nervously played with his fingers, "I think I'll just stay hear and…um… guard the skimmers. Good luck!" He dashed off towards the garage.

"Merbs" Finn said rolling his eyes.

"Are cool!" Stork's voice echoed through the house.

"Are you coming or not?" Piper had her hand on the open door. Aerrow and Junko had already dashed out into the pouring night.

"Yah, I'm coming." They ran out after their friends.

* * *

"This is where I saw someone." Aerrow said pointing at the muddy ground, water streaming down his face. Sure enough there were a set of smeared, muddy footprints. 

"But which way did they go?" Piper shivered wrapping her arms around herself. Her tank top offered no protection from the rain and she was soaked. 'At least we were smart enough to grab our boots.' She thought as she rapidly rubbed her hands up and down her arms in a vain attempt to warm herself.

Noticing Pipers shiver Aerrow pulled his Sky Knight Academy sweatshirt off and handed it her. "Here, put this on."

"But what about you?" She asked before accepting the sweatshirt and putting it on.

"I'm not cold and I'm wet already so I'm fine. I think they went this way." He said pointing down a faint path and starting to fallow it.

* * *

They fallowed the trail for about half a mile before reaching a wall of leaves. Aerrow put a finger up to his lips, signaling for complete silence. After a nod of understanding from his team, he quality parted the leaves and slipped through. The others fallowed close behind. A flash of lightning illuminated the clearing before them 

The Storm Hawks gasped.

There, on her hands and knees, was Jay. Her black gym shorts and aqua tank top were soaked and clinging to her skin. Her hair hung limp over her shoulders which were shaking with sobs. Water, mixed with tears, streamed down her face.

"Oh my god! Jay, what's wrong?!" Piper rushed to her friend's side and put an arm around her shoulders. Aerrow, Finn and Junko fallowed, kneeling around the two girls. Jay shook her head from side to side, sobbing harder.

"Come on Jay! You need to tell us what's wrong! We want to help!" Junko pleaded. Jay just shook her head again. She was now crying so hard that her arms were shaking with the effort of holding her up. She collapsed.

Luckily, Piper had noticed her friend's stability failing and had managed to catch her. She sat back, hauling Jay with her.

Finn was dieing inside. This girl who had helped them so much, that had been so strong and down to earth, couldn't even support herself anymore. He moved over next to Piper and took Jay in his own arms. Piper released her friend and Finn drew Jay to him. He held her trembling figure as she wept into his chest. They must have sat there for five minuets before Junko spoke up.

"Oh my." The three other Storm Hawks looked at Junko. He was pointing to a shadowy part of the clearing.

The next flash of lightning revealed a shocking sight. Beneath a large tree was a single gravestone. Engraved on it were the words:

_The Silver Falcons_

_Lost but Not Forgotten_

_Wes, Tex, Crowe, Mikey, and Sonar_

Pipers hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my gosh!" she whispered, tears welling up I her eyes. She turned away and buried her face in Aerrow's shoulder. She felt his arms come around her and that gave her strength. Piper took a few deep breaths, and then turned back to Jay. 'I have to be strong for her' she thought.

* * *

'Oh my god!' Finn thought as he stared wide eyed at the tombstone. 'Her whole team… her whole team is dead?!' And we would have never guessed!' He looked down at the sobbing girl in his arms. She was gripping his shirt front and pressing her face into his chest. 'She must be so broken inside.' Finn began to stroke her hair as he tried to picture living without his own team. He found it impossible. 

Jay quieted as Finn stroked her hair. Her sobs turned to quick shallow breaths as the cold from her sopping clothes sunk deep into her skin. Jay began to shiver violently in the sharpshooters arms. Junko also noticed the girls violent shaking.

"We really need to get Jay back to the house before Pneumonia sets in."

"Junko's right" Aerrow said standing and pulling Piper to her feet. They looked at Finn who nodded. He stood and pulled Jay up with him.

Jay tried to stand on her own, but her legs were shaking too badly to support her. She felt herself falling.

Finn, feeling the girl about to collapse again, quickly scooped up her legs and held her cradle style. Jay's eyes popped open in surprise as she reached around his neck. Finn smiled down at her as he began to walk back the way they had come. She gave him a small smile before sighing and closing her eyes. Her head fell softly onto his shoulder. He held her trembling figure close and silently vowed:

"I'll help you through this, even if it kills me."

* * *

AN: I hoped you liked it! Tell me if you want more chapters! Remember: If you have not read my first story _Love Conquers All _then you want to do that now. Jay is described both in that story and on my profile. 


	2. Jay's Story

Authors Note: Here is chapter 2! I need motivation so please review!

Anyways… hope you like it!

* * *

By the time they got back to the backyard the torrential downpour had turned into a light drizzle and the thunder had moved off. A few pink rays of early morning sunlight filtered through the trees. Piper ran ahead of the boys to open the door. 

Stork was sitting at the kitchen table playing with a tooth pick and jumped when Piper walked in. The toothpick flew across the room and fell to the floor. "Finally! I was starting to think you had all gotten lost, or eaten by geela beasts, or-" He stopped when Piper put a finger to her lips. The merb looked at her curiously, but remained silent.

Aerrow came in then and held the door open. Stork's eyes opened wide when Finn slipped sideways through the door. He was carrying a limp Jay tightly in his arms. She was now sleeping, but was still very pale and shaking violently; her arms were locked tightly around Finn's neck.

The blonde sharpshooter looked up in concern at Aerrow and the others. "I don't know what to do!" she whispered. His arms started to tremble with the effort of holding the girl. Let's just say he was not used to carrying a teen his age for almost a mile.

"We need to get her warm" Piper whispered back, "Let's take her up to her room. Can you make it that far Finn?"

"I don't know."

"Here." Junko gently pulled Jay into his own arms. Reluctantly Finn let go and allowed his shoulders to sag. Piper and Junko headed down the hallway to the stairs. A few minuets later Junko came back.

"Pipers going to get her out of her wet clothes and into bed." He said.

"Is she going to be o.k.?" Finn asked anxiously from his seat at the table.

"It's hard to say at this point" Pipers voice sounded from the doorway, "but I think she'll be o.k. She doesn't have a fever and she is sleeping soundly now. Her shakings stopped too, but she's still very pale. I think her body's in shock."

Finn sighed in relief. Piper smirked.

"You really like her don't you?" she asked.

"No! I… it's just… uh… well… she helped us so much I, uh, feel the need to return the favor."

"Uh huh" Piper raised an eyebrow. Finn scowled, then smiled.

"I guess I do a little." He gazed out the window. "I just had no idea about her team. If only I had known…"

Piper put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "None of us knew. I know Jay; she doesn't like to 'burden' people with her personal life. It's just the way she is."

"I guess."

"I think we all need to get some sleep" Aerrow said. The others nodded in agreement and headed up the stairs. Piper lingered for a moment at the window as they passed through the living room. She watched as the first yellow rays of sun filtered above the steaming trees.

"Coming?" Aerrow asked softly from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yah…" She sighed and smiled at him. Together they walked up the stairs.

* * *

Jay slowly opened her eyes against the sunlight streaming into her room. As she lay in her full size bed, the events of the night before came flooding back into her mind. She sighed and put an arm over her face. 'Great' she thought rolling out of bed, 'I have some explaining to do, don't I.' 

She stood and looked down at herself. Her pajamas from the night before had been replaced with navy sweats and a white, tight fitting t-shirt. She pulled on a white, pin- striped, navy sport jacket and headed for the door. She just happened to glance at her full length mirror as she walked past it.

Jay gapped at her pale face. She reached up and touched her tear stained cheeks. Then she spun around and headed to the bathroom. Grabbing a washcloth, she quickly turned on the hot water in the sink. It felt good against her skin and helped to slightly re-energize her. When she was done she checked her clock. It was three in the afternoon.

As she made her way down stairs, she tripped in the second floor hallway and gasped. The sudden intake of breath brought about a harsh coughing fit.

Aerrow, hearing the coughing from the bottom of the steps, came rushing up the stairs. He found Jay breathing in short, raspy breaths. "Jay! Are you o.k.?" He put his arm under her shoulders to support her while she caught her breath.

"Yah, I am now… thanks. That was weird. I never get sick" she said giving him a small smile.

"Well, you were out side during the worst part of the storm, and you weren't really dressed for it. I'm sure it will pass soon."

"I guess your right" she said heading for the stairs, Aerrow fallowed was close behind.

* * *

"So what do you think happened to her team?" Junko asked from his chair. The Storm Hawks, save Aerrow, were seated in the living room discussing the previous night's events. They were all dressed in their regular uniforms because they had planed to go work on the Condor later. 

"They died" Stork said simply.

"Well we kinda figured that out already" Finn said rolling his eyes, "But how?"

"An explosion."

They all turned towards the doorway. Jay was standing there with Aerrow behind her. She held a photo close to her chest. "It was an explosion" Jay said again looking at the floor, "set intentionally."

Finn stood up as Jay walked over to the window seat and sank into the cushions. He fallowed. Aerrow went and sat next to Piper on the love seat. (Yes… I did intentionally.)

"By who?" Finn asked sitting down next to Jay.

"Dark Ace" She whispered pulling her knees up to her chest and clutching them tightly. A tear slid down her cheek.

"You don't have to tell us if it makes you upset" Piper said.

"No. I want to. I need to tell somebody. I just don't know where to start."

"Why don't you start at the beginning" Junko said.

"O.k.…. It all happened about two months ago, right after the destruction of the Aurora Stone" She paused and smiled, "That was you guys, wasn't it?"

"Yah…" Aerrow said rubbing the back of his neck, "No biggie."

"Yes biggie. But anyways, it was two days after that and we were facing off with Dark Ace and some of his goons…"

_Flashback:_

"_Jay! Behind you!" Wes called. Worry creased his 16 year old face as he sped towards his team mate. He drew one of his blasters and shot off a round at the cyclonian ringer. _

_Jay turned to see Dark Ace leap off his skimmer as it exploded in blue and red light. He landed in her skimmer as she jumped up to face him. The cyclonian drew his sward and pointed it at her chest. Being weaponless, Jay's Sky Fu training kicked in and she got into a defensive stance. _

"_That's an interesting crystal you got around you pretty little neck. What is it?" he asked slyly. _

"_Wouldn't you like to know" Jay spat back._

"_Fine, I'll just take it… and you as well!" He lunged at her. Jay neatly step sided but tripped, landing facedown on the wing. Quickly flipping over, Jay came face to face with the red light of Dark Ace's sward. "Now" he hissed, "are you going to come quietly or-"_

"_Hey dork face!" A blast of green knocked Dark Ace off of Jay's skimmer. Jay looked up to see the short, silver haired Crowe smirking, the green slime crystal in her energy staff was glowing._

"_Nice shot!" Jay called._

"_Anytime" Crowe waved._

"_Hey girls!" Wes's voice rang out behind them. He zoomed by calling "let's head back to the cruiser!"_

"_Were on it commander!" Crowe called. _

"_Aye aye caption!" Jay called saluting mockingly. She spun her skimmer around and came face to face with Dark Ace. He was riding another skimmer and was covered in green slime. She smirked. _

"_Next time" he said dangerously, "no mercy." _

"_Yah" Jay laughed, "ill be sure to show none."_

_Dark Ace scowled and zoomed off. What was left of his posse fallowed.

* * *

__Jay touched down lightly and eased her skimmer to a stop. Crowe landed behind her._

"_Jay! Crowe! Finally your back!" Mikey gave them a huge hug, his muscular arms crushing the girl's small frames. _

"_Cant breathe… Mikey, let go!" He did and Jay stumbled back. Crowe, on the other hand, skillfully climbed onto his shoulders. She reached up and pulled the grate of the air duct above her head._

"_Someday you're going to kill someone with one of your suffocating hugs." She muttered pulling herself into the air duct. Wes joined them then._

"_Hey Mikey I…" he looked up at the disappearing figure of Crowe, "what are you doing?" he asked._

"_I'm gana go scare the crap out of Tex" was the muffled reply. _

"_Figures" Wes muttered, "Anyways, Mikey, I heard a ticking coming form the engine room. Do you mind checking it out?"_

"_A ticking? Weird. I'll go check it out now" he said walking down the hallway. _

_Jay started slightly as a hand grasped her shoulder. _

"_Are you o.k.?" Wes asked, "Ace didn't hurt you did he?"_

_Jay looked into his worried filled, blue/green eyes. "Of course not" she said squeezing his hand. At that moment a loud, girly screech echoed through the Falcon _(that is Jay's team's cruiser).

"_Crowe! Don't scare me like that!" Tex's voice echoed down the hallway._

"_But its soooo fun!"_

_(Pause flashback)_

Jay broke off and began to cough harshly. A searing pain made her clutch her chest in agony. The Storm Hawks could only watch as the poor girl bent over in pain. Finn wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, rubbing her back with one hand.

When Jay had caught her breath, Piper said "maybe you should go rest."

"No, its o.k. Finn's working miracles." She gasped, "Besides, I'm almost done."

Finn smiled and pulled her closer. He moved his hand in large, slow circles against her back. She sighed

"Anyways" she continued, leaning into Finn as he gently rubbed away her pain. "I decided that…"

_(Continue flashback)_

"…_I think I should go take a quick scout around. Just to make sure Dork Ace isn't hanging around asking for trouble."_

"_O.k." Wes sighed as Jay climbed back onto her skimmer, "Just be careful" he warned._

"_I will, don't worry!" She called zooming off. Wes watched her go then turned to go check on Mikey. A tremendous crash from the bridge distracted him. _

"_WES! HELP ME!" Tex called.

* * *

__Jay smiled and shook her head. 'I know he's just trying to protect me, but Wes worries too much.' _

_A huge explosion from behind her snapped Jay out of her thoughts. She spun her skimmer around to face the horrible sight before her. The Falcon was falling through the air, flames spewing form all the windows and doors. _

"_OH MY GOD!" was all Jay could scream before a huge piece of shrapnel knocked her off her skimmer. She was unconscious before she hit the ground._

_(End Flashback)_

"After I woke up I searched the area the best I could, but…" Jay lapsed into another coughing fit. Her face paled considerably and Finn, who was still rubbing her back, grew worried.

"You should really go rest" he said.

"No, I'm almost done."

"But you will rest when you're done right."

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Finn sighed, "O.k."

"The only thing I could find was this." Jay slowly walked over to Piper and handed her a charred photo. Jay stood behind Piper and the rest of the Storm Hawks gathered around. The photo showed five smiling teens.

"Is this your squadron?" Aerrow asked, examining the photo.

"Yah." She pointed to each person and described them in turn.

"This is Crowe." Crowe was a short (about 5'4") with silvery hair and pointed ears. Her dark purple eyes had a mischievous glint in them as she leaned on an energy staff. "She was our tactics specialists and stealth agent."

"And next to her it Tex" She pointed to a much taller teen (about 5'10"1/2) with rust colored hair and crimson eyes. He was eyeing Crowe wearily. "He and Crowe had a thing for each other, but neither would admit it and neither new the other liked them. Oh, and he was the pilot of the _Falcon_."

"Mikey reminds me a lot of Junko." Jay went on, "He was also our mechanic and ballistics specialists." Mikey was tall and very, VERY muscular. His green/gray eyes shone against his tanned skin, and his black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Who's this guy?" Finn asked frowning. He pointed to a tall (about 5'11"), blonde teen with his arm around Jay. The boy was about 16 and strikingly handsome. His blue/green eyes glinted with an intense fire that could not be described. Piper smiled for she could see the same fire in the eyes of her red haired sky knight.

"That's Wes…" Jay said quietly, "he was my brother and my best friend."

"Was he thy sky knight on your team?" Aerrow asked. Jay nodded.

Finn started. "Oh, I'm sorry" he said turning away. He turned back when a soft hand touched his shoulder.

"It's o.k. You didn't know" Jay gave a small smile and turned back to the picture, "I miss him a lot though."

A look of pain flashed across her face as her knees suddenly buckled under her. She lapsed into yet another coughing fit, this one being the worst yet.

"Woah! Easy there" Finn said catching Jay under the arms before she could crumple to the floor. He helped her over to the window seat where she hunched over. She sounded like she was trying to cough up an air ship. Finn rubbed her back soothingly and whispered. "Its o.k.…its o.k.…." over and over in her ear.

Piper stood and placed a hand on the sick girl's forehead. "Oh man is she burning up!" She spun around and started barking out orders.

"Aerrow go get an ice pack from the freezer, and hurry!"

"Uh Piper?" Finn said

"Junko, Stork, you guys need to get the Condor working and bring it back here ASAP."

"Piper?"

"Radarr you need to-"

"PIPER?!"

"What?!" Piper turned to face Finn. The wingman was now holding Jay; he had panic written all over his face.

"I don't think she's breathing!"

* * *

AN: Well here you go! That was 8 pages of typing so I will update after I get 8 reviews! 


	3. Crowe

Authors Note: Here is chapter 3.

Disclaimer: I don't own Storm Hawks, but I think you can find out what I own.

* * *

Piper rushed up as everyone else scrambled to carry out their assigned tasks. She put a hand on Jay's chest and felt a faint heartbeat. The sick girl's chest was rising and falling, but it was barley noticeable.

"Put her on the couch Finn" she commanded. He obeyed immediately, gently laying Jay down. Aerrow rushed in then with an ice pack and placed it on Jay's head. The girl shuddered, but her breathing became steadily stronger.

"Aerrow? Finn? You guys need to go help Stork and Junko get the Condor running again. We need to get her to the hospital on Atmosia ASAP." Piper said urgently pushing them towards the garage.

"But-" Finn tried to protest but was cut off by a weak voice.

"Finn?" It was barley a whisper, but Finn heard in anyways.

"Jay!" he pushed past Piper and rushed to the girl's side. He could tell she was fighting to stay conscious as she struggled up onto her elbows.

"Do as Piper says" she whispered.

Piper gently pushed the girl back against the pillows on the couch. "Stay down Jay, your in really bad shape." Then she turned to Finn. "You heard her… go!"

Finn nodded and allowed himself to be dragged out the door by Aerrow. As the door slammed Jay lay back and closed her eyes.

"Iv never felt this bad before, except for that one time…" Her blue eyes shot open and her hand flew to her neck. "Piper" she rasped, "where's my necklace?!"

"Upstairs. Why?" Piper sat beside her.

"I need it!"

"But-"

"NOW!"

Piper jumped up and rushed upstairs. She grabbed the necklace off her nightstand, and rushed back downstairs. "Here" she gasped holding out the small blue gem. It sparkled as it caught the light, and the silver chain was cool against her fingers.

"Thanks" Jay said putting the necklace on. It began to glow softly as Jay lay back and fainted.

"What the…?" Piper involuntarily stepped back as the crystal glowed brighter and brighter. Light began to wrap itself around Jay's chest, pulsing with energy.

"Oh my god!"

Piper turned to see the rest of the Storm Hawks run in behind her. Aerrow grabbed her hand and stared in awe.

The crystal, now almost bursting with pent up energy, shot out two blue beams. They headed for Piper and Aerrow.

Stork let out a yelp and ran into the hallway. He hid behind the door leading outside and watched through the peephole.

One of the streams of light reached Piper and gently touched her face, like a soft finger running down her cheek. The scar from Dark Ace tingled as it absorbed the light. She turned to Aerrow who was watching his arm in amazement. The light had encircled his upper arm and the from earlier bruise faded until it was no longer visible.

"Oh I get it" Piper whispered, "Its healing her."

"And us" Aerrow added touching his now bruise-less arm.

"Wow" Junko said.

"Freaky" Finn whispered.

"Its gana kill us!" Stork yelled running out to the Condor, his right eye twitching madly.

By this time the light had faded and Jay was back to her regular self. She still hadn't opened her eyes, but the color had returned to her face and she was breathing normally.

"What the heck was that?" Finn asked.

"Don't know, but at least it looks like she's o.k. now" Piper answered.

"Wild" Junko said.

* * *

The doors to Cyclonis's storm engine chamber slammed open. Master Cyclonis spun around. 

"WHAT?!" She screamed. She was seething. She had finally got her storm engine fixed after those blasted Storm Hawks had destroyed it, but she didn't have a crystal with even a fourth the power the Aurora stone had.

"Master, look what we caught at the boarder." Dark Ace pushed a struggling Starling into the room. She was gagged and her arms were bound behind her back. She was screaming muffled words behind the gag.

"A… sky… knight? You bothered me for a SKY KNIGHT?!" Cyclonis's voice rose to a high pitched scream. "How many times do I have to tell you people before it reaches your tiny brain?! Don't bother me with that scum unless it is important!"

Dark Ace frowned. "I know that" he muttered.

"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU BRING HER HERE?!" Cyclonis roared.

"This" Dark Ace said simply. He held out a large manila envelope. The words _Classified:_ _Ultra Top Secret _stamped in red on the front.

Cyclonis snatched the envelope and stared at it. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" She asked Starling. The purple haired girl shook her head and glared at Cyclonis, still yelling muffled threats and curses. She tried to lunge at Cyclonis, but Dark Ace caught her arm.

"Don't even think about it" he hissed.

Cyclonis slowly slit the top of the envelope, savoring the look of panic that was steadily growing in Starling's eyes. She pulled out a couple pieces of paper and scanned its contents. Her eyes widened in shock. "No way!" she whispered turning her back to Dark Ace and Starling.

"Uh… master?" Dark Ace knew better then to ask about the paper, but his shin was throbbing from where it was being repeatedly kicked by Starling. "What do I do with her?" He pushed Starling to the ground.

"Oh" Cyclonis didn't even bother to turn around, "let her go."

"Pardon?"

"Let her go" Cyclonis repeated in a lighthearted voice.

"Uh…o.k. then." Dark Ace signaled to two guards standing by the doors. They stepped forward and grasped Starling by the arms, dragging her to her feet. "Take her to her skimmer and escort her to the boarder." Dark Ace commanded.

"Yes sir" the blonde one said saluting. The rust haired one nodded and saluted, then they left.

Dark Ace watched them go, suspicion in his eyes. He had the odd feeling that he had met them before, and they had been far from friends. 'Oh well' he thought shrugging off the feeling and turning back to Cyclonis. She was smiling like a little girl.

"Its perfect!" she said, "it's all to perfect!"

"Uh, what do you mean?" Dark Ace looked at her quizzically.

Cyclonis turned to him and handed him the papers.

"These papers" she said after he took them, "tell of a crystal that has been lost for thousands of years. I remember studying it. It's called the Azure stone and it holds unimaginable power. Power ten times the amount of the Aurora stone! It can destroy whole terras at a time! Anyways" she jabbed a chart on the top sheet, "it says here that a massive power spike was recorded between Terra Amazonia and Terra Blizzardis. Only the Azure stone would be powerful enough to emit that large of a spike."

Cyclonis beamed and started dancing around the room. All of the sudden she stopped. "Shit!" she cursed.

"What?" Dark Ace asked looking up at her.

"I just remembered that the Azure stone bonds itself to a living being. Someone must have it."

Dark Ace looked at the next sheet of paper. It had a picture on it was oddly familiar…

_Flash_

"_That's an interesting crystal you got around you pretty little neck. What is it?" he asked slyly. _

"_Wouldn't you like to know."_

_Flash_

"THAT GIRL!" Dark Ace shouted, "That pesky blonde girl!"

"WHAT GIRL?!" Cyclonis gripped his shoulders and shook him.

"It was that team that I blew up three months ago. The…uh… Silver Falcons I think. They had a girl on their team that wore this crystal around her neck! I thought I blew her up with the rest of her team, but she must have somehow survived!"

"Where is she now?" Cyclonis demanded.

"I don't know for sure, but I would say somewhere around here." He pointed to the map of Atmos on the wall, halfway between Amazonia and Blizzardis.

"Then take Ravess and don't come back until you've found her. Bring her, and anyone with her, back alive. I want to watch them squirm as she dies."

"Snipe too?"

"Are you kidding?! After letting the Storm Hawks escape I don't know if I'll ever let him out of that cell!"

"Yes master" Dark Ace bowed and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Ace?"

"Yes?"

"Failure is not on option."

"Understood."

* * *

Jay leaned against the table on the bridge of the Condor. "And that's pretty much all I know about this" she said fingering the glittering gem around her neck. 

Piper nodded her head. "Yah… I remember studying it in school. I was fascinated with it and dreamed of being the one to find it. And to think! It was passing notes to me the whole time!" Piper and Jay giggled.

A crackle over the Condor's radio interrupted the conversation.

"Calling all Sky Knights… calling all Sky Knights… please report to Sky Knight Headquarters immediately with your squadrons…. This is a code read drill… repeat… a code red drill… over."

The radio went silent after another burst of static.

"Code read drill?" Piper looked at Aerrow questionably.

"It means the meeting is of the utmost importance. We have to go."

"Well, I guess I'll get out of your hair then." Jay said. She gave Piper a hug and shook each of the guy's hands. "Thanks for everything."

"Thanks yourself" Aerrow said. Junko swept up Jay in a huge bear hug.

"Oof" Jay gasped, "I'll miss you too Junko."

She blinked back tears as she gave a final wave, and headed down to the landing bay and off to the terra. The sound of footsteps behind her caused her to turn.

Finn walked down the ramp and gave Jay what he thought was to be their last hug.

"Will I ever see you again?" he asked searching her crystal blue eyes with his own.

"I hope so" she whispered. Jay reached up and gave the wingman a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for being there for me."

"Anytime" he said smiling.

"Well I better let you go" Jay said reluctantly pulling away. She took a step towards her house.

"Jay?"

"Yah?" she turned as Finn grabbed her hand.

"One more thing"

And suddenly his arm was around her waist, pulling her close. So close that Jay could feel his breath on her face. "I'll never forget you" he whispered. Jay closed her eyes as he gently pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was so intense that Jay swore she could feel sparks.

When they pulled apart Jay had tears running down her cheeks. Finn gently wiped them away and said "be careful, and watch out for yourself." He gave her one last goodbye kiss and stepped back up the ramp. It closed behind him as the Condor roared to life.

Jay waved, tears still falling, as it rose and zoomed off into the endless blue sky.

* * *

"Atmosia isn't that far away, and since we don't want to strain the engines, I'd say we'll get there in about an hour." Aerrow said studying the charts laid out before him. 

"Hey Aerrow?" Stork called from the controls, "did Jay really give you her skimmer?"

"Yah, I didn't want it, but she insisted. I'm not planning on using it though. Anyways, Piper, what do you think?"

"Huh?... sorry Aerrow, what was that?" she turned to face him.

"What's wrong Piper?" he asked touching her shoulder.

"Its Finn" she said pointing to the wingman, "he's not his usual annoying self. I kinda miss it."

Finn was standing at the window, staring blankly out, his arms hang listlessly at his sides He hadn't said a word since they had left.

Aerrow sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"May I make a suggestion?"

"Be my guest Piper"

"Well remember that time Starling asked you to go on a mission with her…"

"Yah"

"… and remember how when you got back you said that there would always be a place for her on the team…"

"Yah"

"… well seeing as the spot is still vacant…" Piper trailed off and looked at Aerrow. He looked at her confused. "… and seeing as Jay doesn't have a team anymore…" she went on.

Aerrow realized what she was hinting about. "I don't know Piper. Inviting someone to the team is a big decision."

"You were sure quick to invite Starling" Piper muttered crossing her arms.

Aerrow sighed and looked a Finn.

"Please Aerrow?" Piper pleaded," Jay's a great fighter and is really smart. She could be a huge help around here. And she never gets in the way. In fact she could keep Finn in line!" She searched his eyes, "it would also be really nice to have another girl around here, even if it is only temporary."

"So were not enough for you?" Aerrow teased.

Piper held up her hands in defense. "That's not what I meant! I love you guys and being a Storm Hawk, it's just…"

Aerrow cut her off. "Its o.k. I understand, and you're right. I think Jay would make a great edition to the squadron." He gave her hand a squeeze and turned to Stork. "Keep a steady course towards Atmosia, Finn and I have to go back and get something we forgot."

At the sound of his name Finn looked back. "What did we forget?" he asked.

"Our new teammate" Aerrow answered walking out the door.

Finn looked at Piper confused. Then his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. "NO WAY!" he yelled running out the door after his leader.

* * *

"Oh stop it!" Jay chided herself, "stop being so selfish. Its Aerrow's team not yours. You have no right to get your hopes up." 

Still she had hoped that maybe, just maybe, Aerrow would have invited her to join the Strom Hawks. But now they were gone, and her hopes dashed. She knew it was too good to be true.

'Oh shut up!' she thought smacking herself in the head. 'Quit being so self centered and be thankful for the time you guys had together!'

All of the sudden Jay's keen ears picked up a familiar sound. Was she mistaken or were their two skimmers heading her way? She ran outside to see.

"Aerrow? Finn? What are you guys doing back so soon? Did you forget something?"

"Yah" Finn said dismounting, "you."

"Wha…what do you mean?" she stammered.

Aerrow stepped forward. "We would like you to become a Storm Hawk, at least for the time being."

Jay stared at him, then at Finn. "Are… are you for real?"

"Yep" Aerrow smiled, "can you pack fast?"

"Really fast!" Jay called running into the house.

Finn fallowed. "Is that a yes?" he asked.

"Yes!" came the enthusiastic reply from the stairs. A few minuets later Jay rushed downstairs with a duffle bag in one hand and a backpack in the other.

"Is that all the clothes you got?" Finn asked pointing to the duffle bag.

"Are you kidding?" Jay laughed holding out the backpack, "These are my clothes. These are my books, crystals, and anything else I need." She said holding out the duffle bag.

"Just like Piper" Finn said taking the bags and rolling his eyes teasingly. He turned and headed for the door.

"Hey Finn?" Her voice wavered, "why me? I mean I'm not special or anything. I'm just… well… me." She looked up at him with big eyes.

"Because your you" he answered. That was all he needed to say. Jay smiled and gave him a hug.

"Thank you" she whispered.

* * *

Later, on the Condor, Piper and Jay were getting Jay's temporary room set up in the extra bed room. "I think that just about does it" Piper said admiring the closet she had just organized. 

"Just one more thing" Jay said pulling a piece of red cloth out of her backpack. She unfolded it and revealed the charred photo from earlier, except now it was inside a flashing silver frame. She delicately placed it on the nightstand. "There, now it's perfect." She was about to say something else, but was cut off by the alarm sounding overhead.

The girls rushed out into the hallway and practically crashed into Junko. "Someone broke into the cargo hold" he briefed them. "They could still be on the Condor."

"Negative" Aerrow said rushing up behind them, "Stork just saw them take off."

Finn rushed past calling "I'll take 'em down!"

"Not unless I get there first!" Jay said sprinting after him.

"Is that a challenge?"

"You know it!" Jay had almost reached the stairs leading down to the hanger. Finn was just starting down them.

Instead of fallowing him down, Jay did a front hand spring, catching the railing in her hands and flipping over. She landed dead center on her skimmer and started the engines. They roared to life. She did a quick check to make sure everything was in working order while the others started their skimmers. Then she floored the throttle and sped off the end of the landing strip. A second later she had her wings deployed and was searching the sky for the perpetrator.

"There! Over there!" Finn shouted pointing to fleeing skimmer off to the right. They took off after it.

Jay, having a slightly faster skimmer, soon outdistanced the others. The figure ahead of her grew rapidly, their black hooded cape flapping behind them. Jay noticed a box tucked under their arm. 'That must be the crystals they stole' Jay thought pulling her skimmer up so she was slightly higher then the fleeing skimmer.

Jay activated the hover mechanism on her skimmer. (The skimmer will hover in place when it senses the change in weight when she gets off. She has a button on her back that will call it back to her.)

Jay stood and leapt off her skimmer. She landed smoothly behind the burglar and grabbed the cape. "Alright, hand over whatever you stole and-" Jay gasped as she pulled of the cape.

The other girls silver hair flashed in the sun as she pulled out her energy staff. "Back off!" She yelled swinging the staff around. Jay dodged it easily.

"Crowe stop! It's me… Jay!"

Crowe pulled her skimmer to a jerking halt, causing Jay to fall on the wing. Crowe looked at her. "No way!" she yelled, "I don't believe it! Jay… you're alive? You're actually alive? I though you had gone down with the ship!"

"I thought you were dead considering you were actually on the ship when it blew!" Jay said giving her friend a hug.

"Jay? Who's this?" Finn asked pulling up and putting his crossbow away. The others pulled up behind him.

"Guys, this is Crowe. You know, from the picture. Crowe, this is Aerrow, Piper, Finn, Junko, and Radarr." Jay said pointing to each person in turn. "There the Storm Hawks."

"Really?" Crowe looked skeptical, "I thought the Storm Hawks destroyed the Aurora stone?"

"That was them." Jay said.

Crowe smiled. "Nice work then. Oh, and sorry about this" She handed the box of crystals to Junko, "I usually only steal from Cyclonians, but I was desperate."

"Hey, its o.k." Aerrow said turning around, "we better get going. Do you need a lift Crowe?"

"If you don't mind"

"Of course not"

The seven headed back to the Condor.

The race to Atmosia was on!

* * *

AN: That was such a sucky chapter! The ending was just… ah!! Oh! And it was long… 11 pages. arg! i just cant seem to get the characters personalities right eather! 

Remember… 11 pages 11 reviews before update!


	4. Mikey

**Authors Note: Did my last chapter really suck that bad? I got like no reviews!!!! Thanks to the people that did review though. It made me want to update soon so I will. Oh, and the little part with Harrier and Jay... please don't hate me for it! It was just for fun and I don't really like Harrier so… yah.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Storm Hawks, but I did create a ****lot**** of things in this chapter. **

**PLEASE REVIEW, even it you don't have an account!

* * *

**The traffic at the Atmosia landing dock was out of control. Along with all the regular shipping cruisers, there were many squadrons' airships fighting for a landing space. The air was filled with horn blasts as ship after ship narrowly avoided collision with others.

"This is insane!" Stork yelled jerking the controls around. He was doing his best to steer the ship and not freak out at the same time.

"Look out!" Junko warned. Stork jerked the controls to the side, narrowly avoiding a collision with a massive export airship.

Unfortunately he swerved right into another ship… Harrier's ship.

There was a terrible crunching noise as the two ships gritted past each other. The sound of ripping metal intermingled with the angry horn of the Rex Guardians airship.

"Ouch" Crowe winced at the sound, "that's gata hurt."

"What's gana hurt more" Stork mumbled, now fallowing an air traffic controller on a skimmer, "is what Harrier is gana do to us when he finds us." He pulled the Condor up to a free spot on one of the many long landing docks.

The landing docks were long platforms that extended out from the edge of Terra Atmosia, right next to the city. To land, ships pull up to either side of the dock and hover. (They are basically docks for boats except in the air.)

Stork deployed two grappling hooks and put the Condor in hover. Then he killed the engines. (The Condor's hover mode does not require engine power.) The Stork Hawks, Jay, and Crowe all filed out to inspect the damage.

* * *

"I'll go register with the dock officials so we don't get towed… don't want to go there again!" Jay said walking towards the dock office. It was a large stone building with glinting windows. "I'll be back in a few" she called before disappearing into the crowed. 

Finn watched her go. "Isn't she great" he sighed under his breath.

"Yah" Crowe appeared next to him, a mock dreamy look in her eyes as she watched Jay go. "Your little angle" she sighed batting her eyes and clasping he hands in front of her. She gave Finn a sideways look and burst out laughing. He couldn't help but smile back.

The others were busy inspecting the damage of the collision. The side of the Condor was covered in long scratch marks that ran from bow to stern. What stuck out the most was the long jagged gash running directly down the side of one of the engines.

Junko paced up and down the length of the engine. "The minor scratches I can buff out, but that gash will have to be done by someone else. I'm not skilled enough to risk it."

"Well at least we won't have to deal with Harrier" Stork mumbled, stroking his beloved airship.

"Uh oh" Piper said from the other side of the dock where she had been standing, "you spoke to soon." She pointed to the ship coming to a stop beside her. The gold Rex Guardians insignia flashed with new scratch marks in the afternoon sun. Piper stepped back next to Aerrow as a door on the side of the new ship opened. Harrier and two of his teammates stepped out onto the dock. He looked far from happy to see them.

"Look what you bastards did to my ship!" Harrier yelled advancing on Aerrow.

"Dude, it was just an accident" Finn said coming to their defense, "I case you didn't notice there was a lot of traffic up there." He pointed at the sky.

"Yah" Piper chimed it, "Stork was doing his best."

Harrier whorled on the cowering merb. "This is all your fault!" he screamed lunging towards Stork.

"Whoa, hold up there pal" Junko said stepping between Harrier and Stork.

"Yah, take it easy Harrier" one of his teammates said. He spun around to face them.

"What the hell do you mean?! Look what they did to my ship!"

The dark haired Rex Guardian nodded calmly. "I know, but look what's heading our way" he pointed up the dock.

Harrier turned…

* * *

Finn saw the look Harrier gave Jay and practically exploded with rage. Crowe saw the look also and grabbed Finns wrist, restraining him. "Easy Finn. Let Jay handle herself" she said. 

Harrier started walking towards Jay. When he was parallel with her he grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Where ya going baby?" he asked smoothly wrapping one arm around her shoulders, "my ships this way."

Jay looked up calmly at the ship he was leading her towards. "The one with a million scratches?" she asked, a hint of boredom her voice.

"Yah, I just got back from defeating Repton in battle" Harrier gloated.

"Whatever" Jay said removing his arm from her shoulders, "listen… I gata go."

But before she could step away Harrier grabbed her shoulders, and pushed her up against the side of his ship his body to close for comfort. Jay looked up at him in utter disgust.

"Not so fast hot stuff" Harrier drawled, "we should get to know each other better." He winked.

That did it. Finn couldn't take it anymore.

"Leave her alone you pervert!" Finn said moving up behind Harrier. His fists were clenched as tight as his jaw; his eyes flashing with hatred.

"What did you call me?" Harrier growled turning to face the pissed off Storm Hawk.

"You herd me you bastard" Finn spat back, "leave her a-"

Before he could finish Harrier punched him in the face. The sharpshooter reeled back and hit the ground with a thud.

"Hey!" Aerrow yelled running forward.

"No!" Jay said trying to push past Harrier to get to Finn, but the Rex Guardian wasn't finished.

"Hold on there" he grabbed her around the waist, "don't bother yourself with that loser."

Finn propped himself up on his elbows, a thin trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. If looks could kill Harrier would be dead 100 times over.

"So you're still awake" Harrier sneered at Finn. "We'll have to fix that wont w-oof!" He gasped as Jay elbowed him in the stomach.

In one smooth movement the girl stepped forward and swung her leg up in a back-round house kick. Her heel connected with his head with a resounding thud. The strength behind her movement caused the sky knight to slam into the side of his cruiser; his head leaving yet another dent in its metal siding. He crumpled to the dock with a groan.

"That's right! Don't mess with the Jayster!" Crowe cried sitting down on top of the barely conscious Harrier.

"You o.k.?" Jay asked worriedly, pulling Finn to his feet.

"Yah" he said wiping the blood from his mouth. "Nice moves by the way."

"Thanks… he deserved it." She glowered at Harrier who moaned from under Crowe.

"Oh shut up you baby" Crowe said, digging her foot into his shoulder.

"Uh, don't we have to be at a meeting or something?" Stork spoke up.

"Oh yah!" Aerrow cried spinning around and absentmindedly grabbing Pipers hand. Dragging her behind him he started up the dock. "We better go so were not late."

Jay gave Finn a gentle push when he hesitated. "Go… we can take care of ourselves." She said, "Were going to go look for someone to fix the Condor anyways."

Crowe looked up from where she had been tying Harriers hair in knots. "Why can't we stay here?" she wined.

"Because" Jay said dragging Crowe by the arm, "it's the least we can do to help."

"Fine." Crowe reluctantly fallowing Jay into the city while Finn took off after his waiting team. Together they headed to Sky Knight HQ.

* * *

"ARG!" Crowe pulled at her silver hair in vain. "Is there anyone is this blasted city that _doesn't _charge and arm and a leg to fix things?!" 

Walking sullenly beside her Jay gave a shrug. The girls were beginning to get discouraged. They had trudged all over Atmosia in search of a mechanic, but so far everyone had been way out of their budget.

"I mean we might as well buy a new ship with that amount money!" Crowe went on. "Well I'm going back… I can't take this any longer!"

"Wait" Jay said pointing, "let's try that place."

Crowe looked at her skeptically. "It's a junkyard Jay. Do you really think someone there would be able to fix anything, let alone the Condor. That is if there is anyone there at all." She was right. The place looked pretty deserted.

"It's worth a shot" Jay said dragging Crowe towards the gate. Reaching it she tried to push it open. It gave a little, but a heavy duty padlock prevented it from going any further.

"Oh crud, it's locked" Crowe said sarcastically, "oh well, let's go." She turned to leave.

"Hold up" Jay said grabbing the other girls shoulder. "I'm not ready to give up yet."

"Surprise, surprise" Crowe muttered.

Jay gave her a dirty look and began to scale the fence. "Well aren't you ever the optimist."

"I'm just trying to look out for my well being. I don't know what you think, but I'd rather walk away and live then sneak in and get killed by some lunatic with a wrench." Crowe crossed her arms in frustration. "Besides… optimism was Mikey's department. Not mine."

But Jay had one more trick up her sleeve. "What would Tex think?" she said more to herself then to the girl on the ground below her. "The mighty Crowe is actually the mighty chicken."

That got her. Crowe sighed and fallowed her friend up the fence. "Fine, But if we get caught, you forced me in here by knifepoint."

"Whatever" Jay rolled her eyes and leapt down to the other side of the fence. Crowe landed lightly beside her. Together they started towards the large garage in the center of the scrap filled lot.

"Wow" Crowe said looking around, "look at all this junk! Broken airships, dinged up skimmers… Mikey would love it here."

"I wouldn't call it junk" and offended voice said from behind them. The girls spun around.

"MIKEY!"

* * *

The Storm Hawks walked into the foyer of Sky Knight HQ. 

"I remember this place" Piper said looking around, "It's where we got rejected as an official squadron." Aerrow didn't respond, but he gave her hand a comforting squeeze.

Stork looked around at all the people milling about. "I didn't know there were so many teams out there."

"Oh my gosh!" Piper gave a little shriek of glee as she zoned in on different people. "It's Xenon, leader of the Elemental Flyers. They protect Terra Neon." She pointed to a green haired women in her early twenties standing with a group of people wearing the Elemental Flyers logo. Her hand swiveled to another team. "Ooo! And there's Meeko of the Ammon Guardians. His team once saved Terra Mesa from being taken by Cyclonia…" She continued to babble on about different people until a voice from across the room cut her off.

"Hey, hey… well if it isn't the Storm Hawks. How you kids doin?" Blister's booming voice echoed across the hall.

Aerrow turned and shook the Third Degree Burners hands. "How ya doin Blister, Burner?" he asked.

"Good. Any idea why the council called us here?"

"Nope, you?"

"Uh-uh."

Just then the doors to the council hall opened, and people began to flow in.

"Sit by us?" Blister asked.

"Sure" Aerrow answered fallowing him into the hall.

The council hall was a massive room that looked much like that of a flat collage classroom. It had long tables running in rows across the room. They all faced a single long desk on a raised platform on the opposite end of the room. This was the desk that sat the council members. They were the ones who got together and made important decisions concerning the well being of Atmos. Right now their major concern was the war with Cyclonia.

All but one of these chairs was filled.

"Who's missing?" Aerrow whispered seating himself next to Piper.

"Who do you think?"

Just then a side door opened with a bang and Harrier stalked in. He had a purple bruise the size of a golf ball crowding his left eye. He glared at the Storm Hawks as a snicker went around the room.

"Order! I said order!" The head of council (HOC) said banging his gavel. HOC… that's what everyone called the grumpy old man.

"I'll make this short and sweet, so pay attention" he barked looking directly at the Absolute Zeros. "You have been called here on an urgent matter that is to be taken with the utmost sereosity. (He makes up a lot of his own words) This is the Azure stone." He said pointed to a large round window above his head. The sides began to glow and a 3-D holographic projection of the crystal hovered above HOC's head. "It has been found after being lost for thousands of years and has been used by someone. Due to an unfortunate event in the transportation of this news" he paused and glanced at Starling who was sitting at one end of the table. She looked down at the floor in shame. "Master Cyclonis herself found out and is now after it." He paused and waited for the murmuring to subside. "This crystal MUST be found before Cyclonis. Any questions?"

"Yah" Meeko spoke up, "what do we do with the crystal when we find it?"

"Bring it straight back here" HOC answered, "It will be locked away forever and its power drained."

* * *

"Are you for real?" Crowe asked climbing onto his shoulder and pulling his black ponytail. 

"Ouch. Yes Crowe, I'm as real as you are." He said lifting her up and setting her on his broad shoulder.

"It's just so hard to believe that you're still alive" Jay said stepping back from giving him a hug.

Mikey looked down at her. "I know. I barely believe it myself."

"How did you survive?" Crowe asked from her perch.

"Well, it's all kind of a fog, but I remember waking up in a bunk on a cargo ship. The captain said he found me on a terra when they made an emergency landing to deal with engine trouble. I don't remember anything else but being taken back to Atmosia with them."

"Why didn't you ever come back to base?" Jay asked.

"I was afraid that if I did I would lose all hope that you guys were somehow alive."

Jay looked at her feet. "I had just about lost hope. Then the Storm Hawks came and I remembered what it was like to be on a real team… to have a real family again." She looked up at her two found friends, "that was all I needed to keep moving on and not give up."

"So is that how you got here then?" Mikey asked, "The Storm Hawks?"

"Yah" Crowe piped up, "and were looking for a mechanic to help them."

"A mechanic? Why?"

Jay proceeded to explain what had happened to the Condor at the dock. She left out her little run in with Harrier on purpose.

Mikey scratched his head. "Hmmm… from your description it sure sounds fixable, but I'm gana need some help."

Crowe flipped up so that she was doing a hand stand on Mikey's shoulders. She looked into his eyes. "You think just 'cause were girls that we can't help?" she teased. Then she flipped off and landed next to Jay, her hands placed firmly on her hips.

Mikey laughed. "Same old Crowe" he said walking towards the garage. "Just let me grab a few things to help with the job, and then we can go."

* * *

"You can't do that?!" Piper yelled without thinking. 

"And why not?" HOC snapped.

"Because" Piper said standing, "the Azure stone bonds itself to a living being. You can't lock a person away! Plus if you drain the power of the stone you will kill that person!"

"We will do what we have to in order to protect Atmos" HOC said, "and that ends this conversation. Meeting adjourned." He banged his gavel and left the room.

Everyone stood and started to trickle out of the back doors. Piper sank back into her seat as the others frowned at each other.

"Ay, Piper" Suzy Lou walked up to the group, "what was that about, eh?"

Piper looked at Aerrow who gave a nod of approval. After checking to make sure all of the council members had left, Piper preceded to tell Suzy Lou the story of the past couple days. "We can't let them lock her away forever, let alone kill her!" she concluded.

Suzy Lou gave the girl a comforting look. "Don't worry, your secrets safe with us. In fact were gana help you." Her team nodded in agreement behind her.

Unbeknownst to the Storm Hawks, several other teams had been listing to their predicament.

"We got your back too, mate" Meeko said from behind then, his Ammon (Australian) accent heavy in his voice. They turned to see many people from several different teams nodding.

"We'll help you protect your friend" Xenon said, "without locking her up."

"You can count on us" Salinas of the Olympians spoke up, gesturing to the people around her.

Junko was confused. "But why help us?" he asked, "I mean were not even an official team yet."

"Because you helped to put Carver behind bars" the new leader of the Red Eagles said.

"And you freed us from the evil clutches of Cyclonia" one of the Rebel Ducks added.

"Plus you totally destroyed Cyclonis's storm engine, thus rendering her helpless." Blister slapped Aerrow on the back. "Face it; you guys have done more already then your share of good. In a way we all owe you."

"Thanks guys" Aerrow said looking at each team in turn, "What can we do to repay you?"

"How 'bout letting us meet this mystery girl of yours" Xenon said. Murmurs of agreement circulated around the group.

"Done" Aerrow said.

* * *

"Done" Mikey said wiping the sweat off of his forehead. 

"Wow" Crowe said admiring the new side of the Condor. It looked good as new.

"Your work never ceases to amaze me, Mikey" Jay said shaking the dust out of her hair.

"Hey guys were ba- whoa" Junko stared up at the Condor in shock. "Is this the same Condor?"

"Yep" Crowe said. "Oh, and Junko, this is Mikey. He's a teammate of Jay and me, and he fixed the Condor."

"Nice to meet you" Mikey said shaking Junko's hand.

"Same here."

"And Mikey" Jay interrupted, "this is Finn, Aerrow, Piper, Stork, and of course Radarr."

Finn looked up at the 6 foot tall teen in front of him and whistled to himself. Then he went over and stood next to Jay as the others examined the Condor.

"So how'd the meeting go?" she asked.

Finn frowned. "Fine." He abruptly turned and trudged to the end of the end of the dock. Sitting down he stared listlessly out towards the now setting sun. Jay looked at the others curiously before fallowing.

"So what happened?" Crowe asked.

"Well we have a bit of a dilemma…" Aerrow said leading the others onto the Condor.

* * *

"Hey" Jay said sitting herself lightly down next to Finn. She dangled her legs over the edge of the dock. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing" he answered turning away.

"Please tell me."

"I did, it's nothing."

Jay sighed and leaned back on her hands. "You know someone's going to tell me eventually." She touched his shoulder lightly, "and I want that someone to be you."

Finn sighed and turned to her. She looked so beautiful to him. The pale light of the setting sun enhanced her features and allowed her skin to glow. Her hair swirled gently around her face, moved by the light evening breeze. And her eyes… oh her eyes… They were like crystal pools of blue that penetrated his soul, and captured his heart.

He gave in. "O.k.… but your not going to like it…"

* * *

By the time he had finished reiterating the whole meeting, the sun had slipped below the horizon and the dock had become deserted. The others were still on the Condor, letting Finn and Jay have some time alone with each other. 

They sat there in silence for a long time, each one lost in their own thoughts. Finn felt something touch his hand, and smiled as Jay laced her fingers with his.

"We'll make it through this. You'll see." She said.

"I know… I just can't stop worrying" he said looking into her eyes, "I mean you have both Cyclonis and the council after you."

"Finn, what will make you stop worrying about me?"

"I guess if you went into hiding or something. I just want you to be safe." He reached up and touched her cheek. He leaned closer, she closed her eyes, and…

"You know…" a seedy voice said from behind them. Startled, Finn jumped to his feet, but was immediately grabbed from behind in a headlock. He herd Jay give a little shriek as their hands were ripped apart.

Out of the shadows stepped a tall figure. "You know its illegal to plot against the orders of the council." Harrier said. His distorted face twisted into an evil grin. "And the punishment is banishment."

* * *

**AN: Im putting the story on hold for now. It seems that not many people like it considering the small amount of reviews i got on the last chapter...**

**I also want to say sorry... sorry for not getting the characters right... sorry for going kinda heavy on the OC (especally the ocXFinn)... sorry for well...anything else i did wrong.**

**Jazzy Pony**


	5. Sunrise

**Authors Note: Sorry this chapter is so short. I thought it was a good place to end what with the shifting focus and all that jazz. **

**Anyways… sorry for all the OC drama... Please forgive me! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own SH, but I wish it would come back on!!!!**

**Parings: AerrowXPiper and FinnXoc

* * *

**Jay's brain kicked into high gear as two strong arms wrapped around her and yanked her to her feet. She was spun around to face Harrier. She started to struggle against her captors grip, but found she could barely move.

"What do you want?" Finn yelled at Harrier, making sure to be as loud as possible.

"I want you to come with me. We are going to turn you over to the Council right now."

"Why?" he struggled, still buying time. The arm around his throat began to tighten, slowing cutting off her air.

"I think you know perfectly well _why_." Harrier spat, "And would you shut her up?!" He yelled at the person holding the screaming Jay.

That's exactly what she wanted. As her captor shifted to place a hand over her mouth, he momentarily loosened his grip that pinned her arms to her sides. Quickly mustering all the strength she could, Jay grabbed the arm reaching for her mouth, and flipped the Rex Guardian over her shoulder. Her arms screamed in pain as she preformed the classic Sky Fu move, timing her release so that her captor flew straight into Harrier. Breathing heavily, she dropped her shoulders, and her throbbing arms fell to her sides.

Crowe's obnoxious voice cut through the air from behind Finn's captor. "Two Jay, Harrier zip... oh yah!" She cheered grabbing the other guy's shirt and kneeing him hard in the small of the back. He released Finn who stumbled forward, gasping for breath. Once Finn was clear, Crowe sent a swift kick to the guys back, sending him toppling on top of his leader and teammate.

"Thanks Crowe" Jay said, her arms trembling slightly. "How did you know?"

"Girl, your screaming could have woke the dead," Crowe answered. "Oh, and Aerrow says were leaving, like, now." As she spoke the engines on the Condor roared to life.

Together they scrambled onto the bridge as Stork retracted the grappling lines, and pulled away from the dock. He steered the Condor along the edge of the terra.

"Waiting for directions here" He called over his shoulder from the controls.

"Head for the spot" Aerrow said after a moments thought.

"The spot?"

"The spot"

"Oh… that spot." Stork banked the Condor and headed for the rural part of Atmosia.

"Jay, Finn?" Piper asked in concern, "You guys aren't hurt are you?"

'Just my pride and ego' Finn thought as he shook his head.

"No" Jay said rubbing her sore arms, "Just surprised. I thought we were all on the same team?"

"That depends on what team your talking about" Aerrow answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well yes, we are all against Cyclonia, but there are some people out there who think that you, that is the Azure stone, should be… well… destroyed. Us, on the other hand" he gestured to the people around him, "want to keep that from happening."

"How are you going to do that? Your not going to fight other teams off, are you?!"

"We will if we have to."

Jay frowned and crossed her arms. "I can't let you do that."

"Why not?" Piper asked.

"Because, not only will you be risking your chances of becoming a squadron, but you could risk banishment. I am not going to let that happen on my account" Jay said.

"We'll risk whatever we have to" Aerrow said definitively.

Jay through her hands in the air in a final attempt. "Well you can't possibly defend off all the other squadrons!"

"No one said we were in this alone" Junko said pointing out the window.

Jay looked, and her look of anger changed to a look of shock. Stork was bringing the Condor to rest in the center of a clearing that housed almost a dozen other airships. People were milling about around them, some even waving up at the Condor.

"Dude" Crowe whistled, "All these teams are on our side?"

"Yep" Aerrow said, "and right now Jay and I have to go meet with the other team leaders." Jay gave a slow, bewildered nod, and followed him out the door, still not fully taking all this in.

* * *

Jay fallowed Aerrow onto the bridge of the Olympians ship; it was the biggest one there. It had been agreed earlier that the leaders, and Jay, would meet there to discuss the situation, and make a plan. Then they would report back to their teams. 

**AN: Here are the teams and leaders, so you don't get confused!**

**Aerrow - Storm Hawks (duh!)**

**Tray – Red Eagles (new leader)**

**Jean – Rebel Ducks**

**Xenon – Elemental Flyers**

**Meeko – Ammon Guardians **

**Suzy Lou – Absolute Zeros**

**Blister – Third Degree Burners**

**Aries – Olympians**

"Welcome Aerrow" Aries said gesturing to a free seat at the large table, "and friend" he added when he saw Jay.

"Guys, this is Jay. Jay, this is Tray, Xenon, Meeko, Blister, Jean, Suzy Lou, and Aries." Aerrow introduced.

"Uh… hi?" Jay said uncertainly. She had to admit; she was pretty intimidated as she felt the eyes of the others silently sizing her up.

"Don't be afraid" Blister finally said, "come on in."

Jay nodded and timidly sank into a chair at one end of the table.

Meeko leaned forward in his chair. "So, you're the sheila that everyone's after?"

"I guess" Jay shrugged, and looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Well let's get down to business," Aries said, "We have to clear out soon after daybreak; before if possible."

"Your right, we need a plan of attack," Xenon cut in. "Jay, what can that crystal of yours do?"

Jay was not expecting this question. "Well…uh… I don't really know." She nervously fingered the gem around her neck.

Xenon sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and fore finger. "I assume that means you can't control it?" she said.

Jay flushed. "Well…uh…no, I mean… I…" she stammered.

"Hey, lay off Xenon," Tray cut in, "she's just a kid."

"Well thanks," Jay muttered under her breath.

"Sorry. What I'm trying to say is, it's not like there is a step by step manual, or anyone out there that can tell her how to use it."

"Tray's got a point," Jean interjected.

Suzy Lou turned to address Jay. "Do you have _any _idea how it works? Anything that's maybe happened to you in the past, or something?"

Jay thought for a moment before slowly nodding her head. "Yes, there was this one time," She said, recalling the story. "My family and I were visiting some relatives on Terra Mesa. I was only five at the time, and Wes was only seven-"

"Who's Wes?" Suzy Lou interrupted.

"My brother. Anyways, one of my older cousins was picking on him. He was telling Wes that he would never amount to anything. How, because he was so small then, he would never fulfill his dream of someday becoming a Sky Knight and leading his own team. It made me mad to see my brother being pushed around like that, so I stuck up to my cousin." She looked down at the table, a frown forming on her lips. "That just made matters worse. He started to tease Wes about needing a girl to fight his fights for him…" She trailed off and looked around the room. The others nodded for her to go on.

"At that point I was so mad that something inside me took over. I felt so strange." She closed her eyes, trying to recall the feeling, and put it into words. "I… I felt something swell up inside me; taking over and controlling me." She sighed and passed a hand over her face. "Wes later described it as an explosion of blinding, blue light. It hit my cousin and… and almost…" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "And almost killed him" she said in a whisper.

Blister sat back and whistled softly.

Jay sagged back in her chair, and opened her eyes. "After that my parents forbid me from using it because it was too dangerous, but I would often try to sneak off and use it. Mind you, I was still only five at the time so I really had no idea what I was doing; thus I made pretty much no headway. I did end up blowing a few holes in the ground, but other then that I couldn't do anything. It will do things on its own occasionally, like you saw that one night, Aerrow." She looked at the other teen who nodded, "but other then that…" she trailed off.

"Well, at least that's _something _to go off of." Blister said.

"That's good," Xenon mumbled, "That's really good. Jay, were going to try something." The Elemental Flyer, being a crystal specialist herself, got up and walked out a side door. She returned a moment later, carrying a glass in one hand. She placed the glass in the center of the table and looked up at Jay.

"I want you to pick up this glass with your power, but don't shatter it."

Jay looked up at her in surprise. "But I can't-"

"Just try"

"but-"

"I said TRY!" Xenon raised her voice, causing Jay to shrink back.

"O.k., but don't expect anything" Jay warned. After a hesitant look around the room she looked intently at the glass. She sat there for a good three minuets, and the others were starting to think nothing was going to happen. Then, suddenly, something flickered in her eyes. They grew slightly brighter as the crystal around her neck began to glow softly.

She raised one hand, and the glass began to rattle on the table. A blue hued mist surrounded the glass, and her hand.

The glass rattled more and more violently until it suddenly shattered. Shards of glass flew everywhere. Everyone jumped and ducked for cover. Jay gave a little shriek, and covered her head with her arms.

"I said _don't _shatter it" Xenon barked, shaking glass from her hair.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" Jay apologized, backing away from the table.

"Man! That was cool, eh?" Suzy Lou said excitedly, examining the remains of the glass that had somehow managed to remain on the table.

"And powerful," Jean added. He pulled a piece of glass from the wall, leaving a one inch gash in the solid steal alloy.

"See!" Jay yelled, tears forming in her eyes. "I told you I couldn't control it! I can't do it! I'll just put us all in danger!" And with that she turned and ran from the room.

* * *

Aerrow stood at the railing of the bridge of the Condor. Leaning on it with both hands, he stared out the window. 

"Hey," Pipers voice jolted him from his thoughts. He hadn't even herd her come in.

"Hey," he said as she came up next to him.

"You ok?" She asked.

He looked at her soft eyes, flecks of gold dancing in the center. "Yah, just wondering if were doing the right thing," He finally answered. "What with going against the council and all."

Leaning one hip against the railing, Piper reached up and pulled a piece of glass out of Aerrow's fiery red hair. "You never really know if you've done the right thing until you've done it," she smiled up at him. "But if you follow your heart you can't go wrong." She turned and gazed out the window. His gaze remained on her.

Wisps of mist rose from the ground, dancing in the beams of early morning sunlight that was filtering through the trees. "It's beautiful this morning," Piper said.

"You definitely are" Aerrow said softly. He turned red when he realized what he had just said.

Piper looked quickly at him, a blush creeping across her face. "Thank you," she mumbled, looking down at her feet.

On impulse, Aerrow tilted her chin up, and kissed her gently.

"What was that for?" Piper asked, blushing deeper.

"That's a thank you for coming back to the team" he whispered, leaning in and kissing her again; this time longer and deeper.

"And that?" she breathed when they pulled apart.

Aerrow gave her a soft smile. "Simply because I want to."

Piper blushed a shade deeper and stepped closer to him. Aerrow wrapped his arms around her as she leaned her head softly on his shoulder.

"You know I love you, right?" He asked, leaning his head on top of hers.

"Oh Aerrow, how could I forget?"

"Do you-"

"I love you more then you'll ever know" she cut him off.

They stood like that, watching the sunrise; two peaceful souls trapped in a world of war and pain, but as the mist swirled and disappeared into the air, the sun rose above the trees, and all was forgotten but each others protection, comfort, and love.

* * *

AN: **I NEED REVIEWS PLEASE!!!!!!!! I need motivation to put the next chapter up... (its all typed and ready to go...) :p**


	6. Tex

**Authors Note: Don't have anything to say for once accept WHY DOES STORM HAWKS HAVE TO ON AT 6:30 IN THE MORNING? I GO TO SCHOOL THEN! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Storm Hawks, but I wish I was on the Nerd Corps story design team sometimes.**

**Parings: AerrowXPiper, FinnXoc, and other random parings. [You know what I mean by that Mik-San!

* * *

**When the sun had risen fully above the trees, Piper broke the peaceful silence.

"Aerrow?"

"Hm?"

"Do you ever wonder why?"

"Why what?"

"Well…" Piper thought, trying to put her thoughts into words. "Why Atmos is the way it is."

Aerrow looked down curiously at the girl still wrapped in his arms. "What do you mean?"

"I mean doesn't it seem to you like were divided?" She looked up at him. "Good and evil, protectors and destroyers, white and black?"

"I still don't follow."

Piper looked outside at the now bright landscape, as if it somehow held the answer. "Well… take Cyclonis for example. I often wonder what makes her the way she is."

"What… evil and power hungry?" Aerrow asked, still kind of lost.

Piper gave him a look. "I know she's that way now, but what was she like before? I mean no ones born evil and power hungry. She must have had something happen to her in her past that made her that way. I often find myself wondering what that might have been."

Aerrow looked thoughtful. "I've never thought about that. I always-"

He was cut off by a clamor from the hallway. He and Piper broke apart as the door to the bridge burst open, and the other tumbled in.

"Dude…Cyclonains... up north… council coming… from south… not cool!" Finn panted, picking himself up off the floor.

"What!" Aerrow said, somehow managing to get what Finn had said.

Stork pushed past him, and started rapidly pulling levers saying "Oh man, we are so DEAD! The Cycloniens are gana kill us, then the council gana banish us!"

Crowe popped up next to Stork, almost giving him a heart attack. "Look at the bright side Stork," she said. "They can't banish us if were already dead."

Stork looked at her as the Condor rose into the air, his right eye twitching madly. Crowe couldn't resist.

"Although, if we do live, I wonder where they will banish us? Maybe to the wastelands; where we'll die of heat stroke and third degree burns. Assuming we don't fall into the lava, of course."

"Or maybe" she went on nonchalantly, "they'll stick us in the ice caves on Terra Blizradis, where we'll wonder around lost until we freeze to death. Or maybe-"

Jay put a hand over Crowe's mouth. "Quit while you're ahead Crowe. Don't freak him out to bad."

"Too late" Crowe grinned.

Stork was rapidly scribbling down his will on a piece of paper he had got from somewhere. Finishing, he handed it to Aerrow. "Here" the merb said, "Now who do you want to get obliterated by, Cycloniens or the council?"

"We'll take our chances with the Cycloniens" Aerrow decided. He knew that right now Dark Ace took priority over the others.

"Alright!" Crowe cried pumping her arm in the air as Stork banked the Condor to the north. "Finally, I get to have some fun! Hey Jay, I bet you can't beat my record for 'most talons taken down in one fight'!" the short girl challenged running down the hallway.

"You're on!" Jay cried racing after her friend.

"Wait!" Aerrow called, funning to the hanger with Finn and Junko at his heals. "I don't think it's a good idea for Jay to go!" he said in a rush, but his breath was wasted as the girls had already taken off.

* * *

Though there were many talons flying about, Aerrow was surprised to not find Dark Ace among them. After knocking a few more talons to the terra below, he pulled his skimmer up next to Finn's. The sharpshooter was hovering a little ways off from the main battle, and was taking out talons with his cross bow. 

"Something's not right" Aerrow said to his friend.

"You mean besides the fact that that silver haired squirrel is having way to much fun" Finn grinned, firing off blast after blast. "And the fact that Jay gets a wicked cool weapon that does way more damage with way less work."

Aerrow looked around for the two Silver Falcons. He spotted Jay first. She was a little ways off to the left, past Finn's head, and within yelling distance. She to was hovering, but had one hand on the controls for quick maneuvering.

The other was raised in the air in front of her, a blue misty fog surrounding it. Her eyes flashed as she grinned, causing the crystal around her neck to glow a little brighter.

Fallowing her gaze, Aerrow spotted a very shocked looking Cyclonian sitting on a skimmer that was surrounded by the same blue fog. The vehicle suddenly exploded, causing its rider to fly into another talon, and plummet to the ground below.

Aerrow zoomed over towards Jay, who waved.

"I never get tiered of that!" She yelled, repositioning herself. "I just wish I could do it faster, or do more damage."

"Well this is good practice," Aerrow answered. "And it looks like you're doing quite a bit of damage. Nice shot by the way!"

She gave him a thumbs up before raising her hand again. There was a crack, and another skimmer exploded.

Aerrow smirked. He had to admit, that was cool. Then he took of into the sea of skimmers, still on high alert for Dark Ace, or even Ravess at this point.

* * *

Crowe hadn't had this much fun for a long time. Laughing out of pure giddiness, she blasted three cyclonians off their skimmers with one shot form her staff. They fell thorough the air, three figures frozen in ice. 

Crowe giggled and quickly swapped the expelled frost crystal for a slime one. Spotting her next victim, she twirled her staff between her fingers a couple times then fired. She missed the rider, but the slime hit the back of the bike, quickly clogging the exhaust pipe, and sinking into the engine. The skimmer sputtered, and died; much to the surprise of its rider.

Watching the rider fall to the ground only a few feet below, Crowe froze. There was something oddly familiar about the talon, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Curiosity thoroughly aroused she dove down after them. He was now running into the dense woods at the edge of the clearing. She touched down and, retracting her wings, took off after him.

Pulling her skimmer into the trees, she raced ahead of him and swerved around in front. Crowe took a flying leap and tackled the fleeing figure, rolling across the ground a couple times before they crashed into a tree. Crowe landed hard on top of the face down talon, and whipped off his helmet and goggles.

"Oh my god!" Crowe cried, falling of the back of her prisoner as she instantly recognized the rust colored hair.

The talon flipped over. His crimson eyes widened as he recognized the girl next to him.

"TEX!" Crowe cried, throwing herself on top of him again, this time in a huge hug.

"Crowe!" Tex said, returning the hug. "I don't believe-" He was cut off as Crowe suddenly pulled back, and slapped in hard across the face. "Ow! What was that for?" he cried, rubbing his soar cheek. 'Man… that girl can still pack a punch!' he thought.

"HOW DARE YOU!" she screeched, anger now flashing in her eyes. "HOW DARE YOU JOIN CYCLONIA!"

"But Crowe, it's not what it looks like." He snapped placing a hand over her mouth as a skimmer passed over there heads. The cyclonians were retreating. "And be quite, someone might hear you."

"Well then what is this?" She yanked at the sleeve of his cyclonian uniform.

"Shh, it's just a cover. I've been trapped at Cyclonia ever since the crash."

Crowe looked at him skeptically. He gripped her shoulders, searching her deep purple eyes pleadingly. "Please Crowe, I wouldn't lie to you. You have to believe me, I would never join Cyclonia."

Crowe's body sagged in relief, allowing Tex reposition himself. He gazed at the girl sitting on his legs. He had missed Crowe so much, even if he would never admit it. He had even missed her tormenting sometimes. He had the sudden, overpowering urge to…

* * *

Crowe blushed in surprise as Tex kissed her. Pulling away she staired at him in surprise. "What… what was that for?" 

"I missed you" he answered. "And… well… I kinda always wanted to do that" he blushed.

Crowe looked at him softly for the first time. She had always had a 'thing' for Tex, but would rather eat dirt then admit it. Grabbing his hand in hers, she kissed him back. That is, until a voice rang out behind her.

"You guys won't believe this" Finn called, "but Crowe's making out with some cyclonian dude!"

Crowe shot off Tex's lap and faced the others, her face bright red.

Jay burst out laughing when she saw who was sitting, also red, at Crowe's feet.

"It's Tex!" Mikey cried, running over and pulling his friend to his feet.

The Storm Hawks introduced themselves to the newcomer, and then headed back to the Condor and the waiting Stork and Piper. They decided to give the newly reunited team a moment alone.

"We'll be at the Condor" Aerrow said, mounting his ride. "Don't be to long."

"This is great!" Mikey cried when the Storm Hawks had taken to the sky. He pulled the other three into a big bear hug. "The whole team, back together again," he said releasing them.

At this remark Jay frowned. She quickly turned to Tex and grasped his arm, searching his face hopefully. "Wes wasn't with you, was he?" she said, a hint of pleading in her voice.

"No, unfortunately," Tex said shaking his head.

Jay dropped his arm and turned away. "Oh" she said softly. Tears formed in her eyes as the fact that her brother was probably dead finally sunk in.

Tex put a hand on her shoulder, and pulled something from his pocket. "He did want me to give you this if I found you though." He said handing her a folded piece of paper.

She clutched it to her chest and looked up at him with misty eyes. "So he's…alive?!"

"Well yah. How else could I have survived Cyclonia? He was the one who kept us from getting caught. Unfortunately, he's currently stuck on the main team that's looking for you. I was just on a scouting squad." Tex smirked, "He's gana be so pissed that I found his baby sister first."

Jay ignored his last comment, and mounted her skimmer. She was over come with a feeling of happiness at the thought of her brother alive. "I don't know about you guys" she said, "but I'm ready to get out of here."

* * *

"Ace!" Ravess's shrill voice jolted Dark Ace from his thoughts . 

"What?" he snapped. He was really edgy these days as they had been out looking for the girl for what seemed like an eternity and had had no luck. He was hesitant to get in contact with Cyclonis for fear of being blown to smithereens.

Ravess gripped his arm tightly. "We found her" she hissed in his ear. "Over near Atmosia and-"

"Really?" he looked at her skeptically.

"Really" she said harshly. "Do you honestly think that I could make something like this up when you're in such a bad mood?" She glared at him.

Dark Ace ignored this and turned to the helmsmen. "Set course for Atmosia." He barked.

"No" Ravess contradicted, "Head for Terra Mesa."

Dark Ace looked at her quizzically. "Why?"

"Because you didn't let me finish." She snapped, "I said we _found _her on Atmosia. I never said we _caught _her. Face it, that scout team you sent was l.a.m.e. LAME. Anyways, she's on the move and you'll never-"

"But how?!" Dark Ace cut her off again. "I destroyed her team, and her ship."

Ravess slapped his arm hard. "Would you let me finish?!" she huffed. "You'll never guess who here escort is."

"Who, the great Rex Guardians?" he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Nope. The Storm Hawks." She said, crossing her arms.

"No!" he gaped at her.

"Yes!" she challenged, "wana bet?"

"With you?" he raised an eyebrow, "Hell no."

"Perfect" Dark Ace muttered. "Fine, we'll take them all down then."

"That's the spirit!" Ravess joked, punching him in the arm.

Dark Ace turned and marched towards the door, but stopped when he recognized the blonde guard from earlier standing by the door. Suspicion tugged at him, but he shrugged it off again.

"You" he barked, looking directly at the guard. They stiffened and gave a tight nod. "Round up a scouting team, NOW!" The guard gave another tight nod, and dashed to the hanger.

Moments later, a team of talons, led by Ravess and Dark Ace, were zooming over the far side of Terra Mesa.

"There" Ravess pointed to a looming shape in front of them. They had the Condor in there sights now.

"Bring her back alive!" Dark Ace ordered the talons behind him. Then he and Ravess split off, each hoping to win the bet they had placed earlier that day by catching the girl.

* * *

The alarm rang throughout the Condor. "We've got company" Storks panicky voice crackled over the intercom. The others looked up from there skimmers. They had been making repairs, enhancing their skimmers functions, and just enjoying each others company. 

"Alright, target practice!" Finn gave a girlish giggle, bounding over to his skimmer. Aerrow, Jay, Crowe, and Junko fallowed. The others elected to stay behind. Piper needed to do her usual with the charts, Mikey said he would take care of the pipes, and Tex didn't have a skimmer at the moment.

"Radio if things get to messy for you to handle." Piper gave Aerrow a wink and pressed a small, walky-talky like, communicator into his palm.

Aerrow strapped it to his belt saying, "Then don't expect to hear much." Piper gave him one of her dazzling smiles and bounded off to the bridge.

Once in the air Aerrow instantly zoned in on Dark Ace. Drawing his blades he looked at Radarr. The little, blue creature nodded and quickly took over the controls.

"Hey Ace!" he called, "Long time, no see."

"You got lucky in the dungeon, Sky Knight." The cyclonian growled, drawing his sword. "This time-"

"Yah yah, no mercy. I know the drill" Aerrow smirked.

Dark Ace narrowed his eyes. "Let's do this." He slashed his sward at Aerrow, who blocked it with his blades. They spun through the air, locked in combat.

While Crowe, Finn, and Junko took on the talons, Jay ended up squaring off with Ravess.

"Well well well. What do we have here?" Ravess said coolly, slowing drawing an arrow and cocking it in her bow.

"Nothin' but me" Jay replied, raising her hand. A faint, blue mist began to form around it.

"Well aren't you ever the cocky one. What are you going to do, slap me to death?" Ravess laughed at Jay's raised hand. She suddenly raised her bow and released the arrow.

Jay smirked. Her hand glowed brightly for a second then released a ball of energy. It collided head on with Ravess's arrow, exploding in a cloud of gray smoke.

"What the?" Ravess cried. She ducked as Jay burst out of the smoke. The cyclonian gunned her skimmer and dove for the ground. 'So that's what all the hype is about' she thought, flying low over a small lake. She pulled up in a large arc, putting on a burst of speed to create some distance between her and Jay. Ripping a small communicator off her belt, she spoke;

"Ace, I got her. I'll take her down, but you need to round her up. I'm not gana do it all."

Dark Ace broke away from Aerrow long enough to hear this. Fortunately, (or unfortunately in Dark Ace's case), Aerrow herd it too. Dark Ace gave one last blast in Aerrow's direction, hitting the teen's skimmer in the side, before whizzing off to help Ravess.

Aerrow quickly pulled his skimmer out of a roll and grasped for his own communicator. Zooming off in pursuit of Dark Ace he pressed the talk button.

"Piper" he said, "Dark Ace and Ravess are after Jay. We need the Condor ASAP!"

"Rodger" came the reply, "give us a minute though. We have a little cyclonian battle cruiser problem at the moment." She clicked off.

* * *

Jay fallowed Ravess as she dipped towards the ground again. Leveling out high above a lake Ravess slowed down considerably, allowing Jay to catch up. 'What is she doing?' Jay thought, slowing down also. 

A blast of red energy whizzed past her ear and she looked behind her. Dark Ace was coming up fast behind her, his blade pointed at her chest. She turned back around just in time to see an arrow with a cylinder on the end racing towards her. Before she could react, the cylinder burst open, releasing a one inch thick cord with two small, metal balls at the ends.

The center of the cord hit Jay squarely in the chest, and quickly wrapped around her upper body, binding her arms tightly to her sides and squeezing her lungs. The amount of force behind the cord was enough to push her backwards off her skimmer.

Aerrow gunned his skimmer as Jay flipped backwards, but he knew that Dark Ace had too much of a lead and would get to her first. Suddenly, something came up on his left. He looked over to see a talon flying parallel with him.

"Take out Ace!" the talon cried, "I'll get Jay!" With that he pulled out a baby blue crystal and through it in his skimmer. The engines gave a roar and put on an extra burst of speed.

Aerrow stared after the talon, dumbfounded. Then something clicked in his mind, and he grinned. "Take over Radarr" he said, drawing his blades. He prepared to perform his classic move; the lightning claw.

Jay looked up with horror filled eyes at the skimmer racing towards her. She saw Dark Ace reach out, and evil grin spread across his face. He was getting closer and closer.

"No!" she screamed. "No, leave me al-" She was cut off as something slammed into her from the side.

* * *

Finn broke free of the talons just in time to see Jay fall. He watched helplessly as Dark Ace dove after her. 'No!' he thought, 'Oh god, no!' 

Suddenly a talon appeared out of nowhere. Finn watched in astonishment as the talon launched himself off of his skimmer, and slamming into Jay, knocked her away from Dark Ace.

Aerrow, seeing his chance, built up his energy and launched his attack.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Dark Ace. The girl was inches from his fingers when a talon, one of his own talons, came out of no where; knocking the girl away. His fingers just brushed her shoulder as he sped past. Before he could pull up, something powerful hit him in the back, knocking him forward off his skimmer.

Ravess screamed as Dark Ace was hit with Aerrow's attack. She dove down and caught the falling talon in front of her. He was unconscious and deathly pale. She placed a hand on his back for support, being careful not to touch the large burn blistering across his back.

Ravess pulled up and faced Aerrow. "You will pay!" she screamed, hate burning in her eyes. "You will pay Storm Hawk!" With that she wheeled her skimmer and sped off towards the retreating Cyclonian cruiser. The rest of the talons followed.

* * *

Jay gasped as a body slammed into her. She felt two strong arms wrap around her waist as the talon put his body between her and the quickly rising ground. From her position, Jay could not see that they were still over the lake. 

"Brace yourself, kiddo" the talon said in her ear a moment before he hit the water.

Jay closed her eyes. She felt the figure below her hit something but, to her surprise, kept falling.

A split second later, water engulfed her, filling her lungs. The arms around her fell away, and she felt herself sinking. The weight of the balls on the end of the cord dragged her down. She struggled against the bonds, her lungs burning, as she sank deeper. "Help!" she tried to scream, but all that came out was a stream of bubbles.

The cord seemed to grow tighter around her chest as the pressure built up around her. She started to feel weak… her mind grew foggy… she started to see spots. Just before she blacked out, she felt someone grab her around the waist and pull her upwards.

* * *

Finn, Piper, Crowe and the others rushed to the bank of the small lake. 

"Do you see them?" Piper asked, gripping Aerrow's hand fearfully.

"Not yet" Aerrow responded tensely, scanning the surface for any type of disturbance.

Finn's sharp eye was the first to see something in the center of the lake. "There!" he shouted pointing. No sooner had he spoken then two heads broke the surface. They floated there for a second, and then the talon started to drag the unconscious Jay towards shore.

Crowe launched herself into the water; swiftly swimming out to the two figures. Wrapping one arm around Jay, she helped the talon drag her to shore.

When they were within wading distance, Finn splashed out and helped Crowe get Jay up on the beach. Mikey also waded out and, picking up the exhausted talon football style, hauled him to shore.

"Quick Aerrow" Piper said, kneeling next to Jay. "Cut the bonds!"

Aerrow deftly drew one of his blades and swiped it through the cord, being careful not to cut Jay in the process.

Jay came to as the bonds loosened and fell away. Taking a deep, shuddering breath she rolled over and began coughing up a lot of water. Everything swam in her vision, and she barley herd what Piper said. She fainted on the sand a minute later, her body deciding it had had enough for a while.

* * *

Jay awoke hours later on a stiff bed. The air around her was stale and the walls were almost blindingly white. "Ug" she mumbled, slowly coming to. She sensed someone standing over her, and her eyes fluttered open. 

"Finally!" Crowe said, looking down at her. "I was beginning to think I would be here all day, and trust me, if I were stuck here all day I-"

"Where am I?" Jay asked, cutting her off.

"Oh, your in the hospital on Terra Neon," Crowe babbled on. "Piper thought it would be a bad idea if we took you back to Atmosia and frankly I agree with her. So we brought you here. How are you felling by the way? The doctor had you in the examining room for, like, ever and we were all staring to think something was going wrong, but then the doctor came out and said you were fine, just needed rest. Anyways, you ready to go?"

Jay stared at Crowe as she said all this. She was talking in such a rush that Jay had only caught about half of it, not to mention the fact that the whole time Crowe was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Crowe?" Jay asked.

"Yah" Crowe said, doing a cartwheel at the end of Jay's bed and nearly crashing into the wall.

"You didn't, by chance, have any coffee lately, did you?" Jay said almost pleadingly.

Crowe gave her a sly grin. "Maybe… ok yah. But your getting the down side of it. You should have seen Tex in the waiting room. I think I drove him off the wall. I was great…" she trailed off.

Just then the door opened and a gray haired, male doctor walked in. "Oh, Mrs. Jay. It's good to see that you are awake. I take it you feel better?"

"Yes" Jay said sitting up. "I feel better then ever." She lied. She was still a little woozy, probably from something they gave her. "Can I go?"

"Now hold on a second." The doctor said peering at her through his glasses. "I think it would be best for you to stay overnight, just in case."

"But she said she was fine." Crowe burst out. "I mean look at her, doesn't she look fine to you? Yeesh!"

"Ignore her" Jay said to the doctor, "She's on caffeine. Anyways, are you sure I can't go now? I have a lot of people waiting for me." She thought of the talon that had saved her. 'I bet It was Tex' she thought, 'I owe him big time.'

"Well" the doctor said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "How important is it for you to leave now?" he asked.

"Very, _very_ important" Jay answered.

"You could almost say her life depends on it" Crowe muttered. She hated doctors. To her it seemed that all they did was pry into your personal life, then load you up on medications that all say "when using; do not operate heave machinery'. What fun is that?

"Well…ok" the doctor sighed, scribbling something on the clipboard he was holding. "I'll send in a nurse to check you out." With that he left.

"After you get dressed and all checked out, meet Piper and I in the lobby, ok?" Crowe said before cart wheeling out the door, and nearly crashing into a nurse with a cart.

Jay got out of bed and closed the door with a soft 'click'. She turned back around and wrinkled her nose at the white hospital gown she was wearing. Quickly stripping it off, she pulled on her jeans.

As she was pulling on her black tank top, a sharp pain shot through her left arm. Pulling her shirt on the rest of the way, she examined her arm. Around her bicep was a tightly wound bandage. She could see a red stain forming on the top layer.

There was a knock on the door behind her, and a kind faced, plump nurse bustled in, carrying a small box.

"Alright honey, you'll be all set to go as soon as we change that bandage of yours, then you'll be free as a bird again." She set down the bag and pulled out a roll of bandages, setting to work on unbinding the old one.

Jay couldn't help but smile at the women's lightheartedness. She watched attentively as the nurse redressed her wound, mentally making a list of the steps.

"Now you might need someone to help you with this. Maybe your boyfriend? A pretty little chick like you is bound to have someone special," the nurse babbled on, her eyes twinkling kindly. Jay blushed, but didn't say anything. The image of a certain sharpshooter flashed in her mind, fallowed closely by an image of her brother.

Jay winced as the nurse gave a final tug on the bandage and tied it. "There you go sweetie. You're all set." She said opining the door for Jay.

"Thanks" Jay said. She strolled down the hallway and into the lobby. She found Crowe and Piper waiting there for her.

"Hey" Piper said standing up, "you feeling better?"

"Yep, a lot" Jay answered, rubbing her arm. "Where are the guys?"

"What" Crowe teased. The caffeine had finally worn off. "You were expecting a whole welcoming committee? Aren't Piper and I good enough for you?"

"No, and yes" Jay said marching out the door. "Where are they anyways?"

"There at the Condor" Piper answered, winking at Crowe behind Jay's back. "Somewhere _Wes_t of here," she giggled.

Turning down the street, Jay mumbled to Piper, "You gave Crowe coffee, didn't you?"

Piper grinned. "Yah… my bad. It made the wait all the more fun though."

* * *

"The girls are back" Stork's voice crackled over the intercom. Tex bounded down the ramp as Crowe cart wheeled up it. They crashed into each other, rolling down the ramp to the terra. They landed in a heap at the bottom, there faces only inches apart. 

"Watch it bozo!" Crowe said, leaping to her feet and blushing. Finn and Junko walked out then.

"Me?! You're the one flippin' around like some sort of crazed monkey!" Tex spat back, also red.

"Id say she's more like a squirrel" Finn mumbled.

Crowe whorled on him. "SQUIRREL? I'LL SHOW YOU SQUIRREL!" she took a menacing step towards him.

"Yah, a squirrel with a vengeance" Tex muttered, getting to his feet.

Crowe spun around and decked him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground again. Then she spun around and lashed out with her foot, nailing Finn in the back. He flew forward and smashed into the side of the Condor, slowly sinking to the ground.

Crowe stalked over to where Jay and Piper were giggling. "It's not funny" she muttered, crossing her arms, but her eyes showed otherwise.

Mikey walked out of the Condor then. Seeing Tex rubbing his jaw and Finn in a heap on the ground he grinned. "You pissed of Crowe again, didn't you?"

"Shut up" Tex muttered as Mikey helped him to his feet. Noticing the bandage on Jay's arm he pointed. "Is that the only scratch you got?" he asked.

Jay, calm now, nodded. "It could have been a lot worse had you not done what you did. Thank you."

Tex looked at her quizzically. "But I didn't do anything"

"What" a voice said from behind Jay, making her jump. "No thanks to your brother for saving you?"

* * *

**AN[phew that was 13 pages of (what i think) is the best thing i have written so far. I look farward to reviews!!**


	7. Wes

Authors Note: I hope to get lots of reviews on this chapter please.

Disclaimer: I dont own Storm Hawks and i havent watched it for, like, EVER!

Parings: AerrowXPiper, FinnXOC and other random parings.

* * *

Jay spun around. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was one she had dreamt about almost every night, but never thought she would hear again. It could only be… 

"WES!" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes. She rushed into his outstretched arms. Ignoring the pain that shot through her left arm, she threw hers around his neck, hugging him lovingly.

Wes hugged Jay tightly, spinning her around a couple times before gently setting her down and kissing the top of her head. "Did you miss me, kiddo?" he asked, his voice full of joy. He would often call her 'kiddo' because that is what their father used to call her, back when their parents were alive.

"Only every second you weren't here!" She laughed. Pulling back, she looked him up and down.

Wes hadn't changed much since the crash, and for that, Jay was glad. At 16, he was tall and handsome; not to mention smart and funny. His dark blond hair fell into his intelligent, deep blue/green eyes, that had a constant teasing look in them. Oh, how she had missed those eyes so much. Looking into them, her lower lip began to tremble and she suddenly broke down.

"Oh, Wes! It was so… so hard!" she sobbed, tears spilling down her cheeks as she buried her face in his shoulder. "Not knowing if you were ok. I thought I had lost you like… like mom and dad. And now I've put everyone in danger and… and… I don't want to lose you again!" she broke off.

"It's ok" Wes said softly, stroking her hair in the same way Finn had. He knew this was the trick to calming her down since that is what their mother had done when she was upset. "It's going to be alright now, you'll see. We've got the whole team back together, and we've got the Storm Hawks to help us. Well make it ok?"

Jay nodded into his shoulder. She took a long, deep breath; breathing in the familiar scent of her brother. Pulling away, she ran an arm across her face and smiled. "Ok" she whispered.

The others quietly watched the whole encounter. Aerrow stood next to Piper, one arm wrapped around her shoulder. He grinned when he noticed her teary eyes. Giving he shoulder a squeeze, he leaned over and whispered, "Good job."

"For what?" she asked softly.

"Well, if you hadn't run away, this moment probably would never have happened." He answered. She gave him a playful slap. Looking at Finn, she giggled and pointed.

Finn was standing, with Junko's help, and had a mixed look of happiness and jealousy on his face. I didn't help that Junko kept going "aww… isn't that sweet?"

* * *

Tex propped his chin up on his hand. He was lying on the ground (again) with Crowe on his back. "Just how I like these reunions" he said sarcastically, "sweet and sappy." 

"Dude, show some compassion, would yah?" Crowe said whacking him in the back of the head. His face ended up buried into the dirt.

"Why you!" he sputtered, arching his back in a vain attempt to throw Crowe off. She deftly reached out and poked his spine at the base of his neck. His limbs instantly went numb, and he collapsed back in the dirt.

"I still know the secret spot" Crowe taunted, bouncing up and down on his back.

"I hate it when you do that" Tex growled, his arms and legs tingling.

"I know" Crowe smirked, crossing her arms and sitting back.

Tex lay there until all the feeling had returned to his limbs. Then, mustering up all his strength, he rolled over; throwing Crowe off him. Getting up quickly, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Crowe cried as he began marching towards a small nerby lake. "What are you doing?!"

"Getting my revenge" Tex grunted.

"Wha- oh no you don't!" she screeched, struggling.

He reached the lake and waded out up to his knees, grabbing Crowe with two hands to stop her struggling. He attempted to dump Crowe off his shoulder, but Crowe wouldn't be beaten that easily. She grabbed the hem of the back of his shirt as he released her, and the shirt came up and caught on the back of his head, pulling him forward. They both tumbled into the cool water.

Tex came up sputtering. He wiped his wet hair out of his eyes and glared at her. "CROWE!" he yelled, chasing after her as she dashed out of the water.

"Ooo… that backfired!" Crowe laughed, leaping onto Mikey's shoulders; something she used to do quite often to escape Tex's wrath. She knew she was relatively safe up there.

Tex ran after her. "Hey! Get back here you-" He was cut off as Jay grabbed the back of his collar.

"Geeze, you guys are such flirts." She said shaking her head, a grin spread across her face.

Wes smiled. _'Just like old times' _he thought, walking over to where Aerrow and Piper were standing. He was glad that his team was back together and that none of them seemed to have been seriously scared by the crash, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't out of the woods yet.

"Hey Wes" Aerrow said meeting the other Sky Knights gaze. "What's up?"

"Nothing" Wes said. "I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Jay. I was really worried about her when I was at Cyclonia. I wondered if she knew I wasn't dead, and that I would eventually find her."

"How did you know _she_ wasn't… you know…" Piper trailed off.

Wes looked at them. "Dead? I knew she wasn't on the ship when it blew so I just assumed she was ok." He sighed and looked over at his sister. She was braced against the ground, holding on to Tex's collar as he desperately tried to get Crowe. The silver haired girl was making faces at him from atop Mikey who was laughing his head off. "I would never have forgiven myself if something had happened to her."

"Don't be so hard on yourself" Piper said, "You were trapped on Cyclonia."

"I know but still…" he looked at the ground. "I... I was there when my parents died. I watched as they were struck down in an ambush by cycloians. I felt it was my fault because I could do nothing to help. That day I vowed that I would always be there to protect Jay; no matter what the costs. She's all I have left." He finished softly. He looked up at them, "Anyways, thanks."

"No problem, and if there is anything you need…" Aerrow said.

"Uh, actually a lift back to Terra Thundaris would be greatly appreciated. All of the teams extra gear is there along with my parents hidden air ship."

"Sure" Aerrow said with a nod and a grin.

* * *

Ravess paced in a circle in the hall of the Cyclonian battle cruiser. "What the hell is taking so long?!" she yelled at the door marked infirmary. 

Just then the door banged open and Dark Ace walked out. "Would you shut the hell up?" he snapped, adjusting the sleeve on his fresh uniform. "You're giving me a migraine!" He rubbed his head, then reached around and rubbed his back. The burn on his back had been healed for the most part with healing crystals, but he was stiff and it had put him in a bad mood.

Ravess stepped in front of him. "That's no way to speak to the person who just saved your sorry ass!"

Dark Ace emitted a low growl. "My 'sorry ass' can take care of itself. I don't need you."

"Yah… right. And I suppose it would have saved you from crashing into the ground back there?" She said, taking a menacing step forward.

"I don't have time for this." Dark Ace said, bumping into the wall behind him.

Ravess put her face close to his and jabbed him in the shoulder. "Admit it. You need me you uncaring, inconsiderate, son of a-"

Dark Ace suddenly grabbed the back of her head, smashing his lips into hers. She gasped and he pulled back. "I love it when your angry." He said before pushing past her and stalking down the hall.

Ravess watched as the door slammed behind him. She slowly reached up and touched her tingling lips. '_I don't believe it'_ she thought _'he actually admitted it…' _A sly smile spread across her face. _'Now I just gata make him __**say **__it' _Feeling eyes upon her back, she spun around. A guard had walked out of one of the many doorways in the hall and was staring at her. "What the hell are you looking at?" she snapped. Not waiting for an answer, she spun around and stalked to the door leading to the bridge. As it slid open she froze.

Dark Ace lay on the floor in front of her, his face distorted in pain. He clutched his stomach and let out a cry of agony. Master Cyclonis stood over him, a deep maroon crystal in her hand, and a look of utter rage on her face.

"I TOLD YOU… FALLURE WAS NOT ON OPTION!" she screeched, her claw like fingers tightening around the Vespa crystal. Dark Ace cried out again, his body jolting on the floor.

"Stop it!" Ravess cried, running forward. "It's not his fault! It was that stupid talon that ruined everything!"

Cyclonis's hand dropped and she watched as Dark Ace's body went limp on the floor. He lay there, breathing heavily, his eyes closed. Then she looked up slowly at Ravess, her eyes like daggers. "What talon" she growled.

Ravess squared her shoulders, but found she could not meet her master's eyes. She told Cyclonis about how the had almost had the girl, but some talon had knocked her out of the way.

"WHAT!" Cyclonis screamed. Ravess winced as her fingers twitched around the Vespa crystal. Cyclonis paused, held up a hand as if to calm herself, and then said to Ravess. "What did he look like?"

"It… it was that blond haired one" Dark Ace said weakly, getting on his hands and knees. He grabbed the wall and hauled himself to his feet. "He was tall with dark blond hair and…" his head snapped up as something clicked in his brain, and he looked at Cyclonis. "I think it was her brother."

Cyclonis pondered this for a moment. Then a sly smile crept across her face. "Yes… this could work to our advantage. New plan, if you can't catch the girl, bring me her brother instead." She turned to go, but paused. "Oh… and you have forty eight hours," she said, and then swept out a side door.

Dark Ace slumped against the wall heavily. "Ravess, help me get my armor. We need to make a plan."

She smirked, crossing her arms. "Say it."

He glared at her. "We don't have time for this" he hissed.

"Say it, or I won't help you." She turned to go.

"Fine" he sighed, "I… I need you." He tried to take a step forward, but stumbled.

Ravess quickly stepped forward and draped his arm over her shoulders. "Take it easy, that Vespa crystal packs quite a punch."

"You're telling me" he muttered, leaning against her heavily. Together they slowly trudged to his room.

* * *

"Finn, why won't you talk to me?" Jay cried, following the Storm Hawk around the hanger as he put away tools. The others were all up on the bridge, just hanging out. Jay had noticed Finn not there, and snuck out to look for him. She was secretly hoping to get some alone time with him. She had found the sharpshooter in the hanger but, to her surprise, he had snubbed her off. 

Finally he spoke. "Why don't you go back to _Wes_, and just leave me alone" he snapped.

"What is your problem?!" Jay cried, taken aback.

"My problem," he spun around to face her. "Is you! Leading me on like that then totally ignore me for what, a guy you haven't seen in three months?

"Finn, he's my brother for crying out loud!"

"Yes, but he was flying with the talons! How do you know he's not spying for Cyclonis?!"

Jay stared at him speechless, her eyes wide and hurt, and he instantly regretted snapping at her. "Is that really what you think?" she whispered.

"Jay, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant"

"Then what did you mean?"

"I…" he looked at the floor in shame. "I guess I'm just jealous that you're spending all of your time with him."

She touched his arm lightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you felt that way, but you have to understand. He is my brother and I nearly lost him. Also, I'm all he has left and-"

"He's all you have left." Finn finished for her.

She gave him a look. "That's where you're wrong. I have you, don't i?" She gave him a light punch in the arm.

He then held out his arms. "Of course you have me." He said, and then grinned. "Kiss and make up?" he asked, half teasing.

"Only if you can catch me" she giggled, spinning around and running towards the door leading to the landing ramp.

"Oh no you don't!" Finn said taking off after her. He caught her just before she could open the door. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he dragged her backwards.

Jay gave a playful scream and wriggled out of his grip. "Oh… so close!" she said, turning to face him after flipping over a skimmer putting it between them.

"Oh, you're good…" Finn said vaulting over the skimmer and tackling her. They rolled to the center of the hanger in each others arms. "… But Im better."

Jay looked up at Finn who was lying on top of her. He supported himself with his forearms, smiling down at her. "Looks like you caught me" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yep, and you know what that means." Finn said, his eyes dancing as he leaned closer to her face.

"You bet I do" she teased. Closing her eyes, she lifted her face to meet his.

There lips met in the same fiery passion as before. Jay tightened her grip around his neck as she leaned into the kiss. Finn reached under her back with one arm, supporting himself with the other, wrapping his fingers in her hair. Occasionally they would break apart for air, but instantly went back for another kiss, both not wanting the moment to end.

But as all moments do, it had to end eventually.

"I hope Im not interrupting anything."

Jay quickly looked over Finn's shoulder to see Wes standing in the doorway, a deep frown on his face. Jay blushed as she realized what their position must look like in his eyes.

Crowe popped up behind Wes then. "Hey Wes I… woah! PIPER, GET THE POPCORN; YOU GATA SEE THIS!" she called down the hall. Taking a step into the hanger she gave Jay a thumbs up. "Rock on girlfriend!"

Wes turned on Crowe. "Don't encourage her!"

"Lighten up dude" Crowe laughed.

Finn looked down at Jay while Wes yelled at Crowe. "A little overprotective, isn't he?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Haven't we already been through this." She said releasing his neck, and rolling her eyes.

"I guess we have" he responded, rolling off her and onto his feet.

Jay smiled and held out her arms. He grasped them and pulled her to her feet. Glancing at Wes, who was still yelling at Crowe, he gave her one last kiss. "I better go see if Aerrow needs and help with anything."

Jay smiled. She knew what he was trying to say was "I better go before your brother beats me into a pulp."

Piper walked in then, Aerrow at her heels. "Did you call me Crowe?"

"Yah but you missed it…" Crowe said walking back down the hallway, Piper fallowing her. "…Finn and Jay were…" her voice faded.

"Finn, we need you up front." Aerrow said casting a glance at the retreating girls, his eyes saying 'what the heck was that about?' Finn winked at Jay and fallowed his leader out the door.

Wes turned to Jay, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. The look on his face told Jay she was in for it.

"Listen Wes, before you say anything-"

"When were you going to tell me you had a boyfriend?!"

"He's not my boyfriend!"

Wes raised an eyebrow.

"Well it's not official yet" Jay muttered.

Wes threw his arms in the air. "Great! What else happened while I was gone? Don't tell me you got a tattoo?!"

"It's just a small one" Jay said.

"JAY!"

"I'm just kidding! Yeesh, lighten up a little."

"Lighten up?!" Wes cried stepping towards her. "How can I lighten up when I just saw my little sister lying on the floor making out with some guy she just met?!"

"Hey" Jay defended, "first of all _you _just met him… not me. And second, I really like him!"

"Jay! Think, he's a boy… with hormones!"

"Oh, and you aren't?" Jay challenged.

"Im your brother, that's different!"

"You're judging Finn before you even know him! That's totally unfair!"

"Im your brother, I don't have to be fair!"

"Well the least you could do is stop treating me like a baby!"

"You don't understand Jay! I'm trying to protect you from getting hurt!"

"No… it's you that doesn't understand!" Jay cried, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Without Finn I would probably be dead!"

Wes stopped and stared at her wide eyed. "Wh…what?" he whispered, shocked.

Jay looked down at the floor, tears fogging her vision. "I assume the Storm Hawks told you about the third night at the house?" (See chapter 1- Midnight shock)

"Yes" Wes said softly, stepping forward so that he was right in front of her. "Piper told me about it in the waiting room at the hospital."

"Well, if they hadn't found me that night, and Finn hadn't showed me that he cared…I… I was gonna… kill myself." She finished in a whisper. The tears came freely now, flowing down her face.

"Oh… oh Jay" Wes said, hugging her tightly. She breathed into his chest, willing herself not to cry again. "If only I had known…Im so sorry." He said, pressing his face into her hair. A single tear slid down his cheek.

He finally realized how wrong he had been. If it hadn't been for Finn, he would have lost his sister… forever. He mentally kicked himself for judging and jumping to conclusions to soon. He made a mental note to thank Finn when he got a chance.

A few minuets later Tex, Crowe, and Mikey walked in to find them still standing like that. "Aww… they worked things out" Mikey cooed.

"This is what we get for having brother and sister on the same team." Tex said, rolling his eyes.

"Dude, show a little sensitivity!" Crowe ordered, kicking Tex's legs out from under him.

Wes turned to face his team and Jay wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes. "What's up?" Wes asked.

"Aerrow wants all of us to meet and talk strategy." Mikey said over Crowe and Tex's yelling.

Finn looked up as the Silver Falcons entered the living area. He immediately made room on the couch for Jay. As she plopped down he glanced at Wes. The older teen gave him a genuine smile and a nod of approval. He grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Ok" Aerrow said, standing next to Wes at the table. "Let's talk strategy."

* * *

By the time they landed in the clearing next to the Silver Falcons base, it was just past midnight and everyone was dead tiered. 

Wes, Tex, and Mikey went inside the house, just to make sure nothing was out of sorts. Jay had fallen asleep on Finn's shoulder. She had had a tough day both physically, and emotionally.

Crowe had somehow ended up sprawled in the middle of the floor. She was spread out eagle style, and snoring softly with one arm over her eyes. She would occasionally mumble something that sounded like 'I got you again Tex', and grin.

Aerrow and Piper were both lying on the other couch, Piper asleep with her head in Aerrow's chest. He and Finn, since they were facing each other, hade made up some game which included mouthing insults to each other. Stork was asleep at the controls and Junko was in the kitchen, as usual.

Wes and Tex came back a few minuets later. Each had changed out of their cyclonian garb and back into their team uniforms. Tex deftly waked over and picked up Crowe off the floor. Her eyes fluttered open as he lifted her up.

"I can walk myself" she slurred in a daze.

"Prove it" Tex whispered setting her feet on the ground. She took on step and nearly fell over forward. "Or not" he laughed picking her back up.

"Hey, you didn't give me a chance!" she mumbled, her eyes drooping as she punched him weakly.

"Yes I did, now shut up and go back to sleep…" he hissed walking out the door.

Wes smirked and walked over to Jay. Finn looked up from mouthing something to Aerrow and nodded to Wes. The older teen nodded back, picked up Jay, mouthed 'see you in the morning, and walked out the door.

* * *

Reaching the third floor, Was almost tan into Tex who was coming out of Crowe's room. "Why does that girl have to sleep in a loft" he grumbled, opining Jay's door for Wes. 

Wes shrugged, "Beats me." He slid through the doorway and moved over to Jay's bed. Laying his sister down gently; he pulled up the covers around her and kissed her forehead softly. As he turned to go, he felt something tug at the back of his shirt.

"Wes?" Jay mumbled her eyes half closed.

"Yah Jay?" he asked softly, turning.

"Don't leave" she murmured.

"I won't. I'll be right downstairs."

"No… stay with me, please?" she pleaded softly, gripping his shirt a little harder.

A worried frown crossed his face as he unlaced her fingers. "Ok" he said closing the door. Turning back, he climbed over Jay to the far side of her bed. Lying down on his back he wrapped one arm around her shoulders protectively, the other draped over his stomach.

Jay rolled over and laid her head on his shoulder, one of her hands resting lightly on his chest. "I love you" she whispered before drifting back off to sleep.

He smiled and closed his eyes, his face falling into her hair. "I love you too."

For the first time in three months, both of them slept peacefully.

* * *

Wes blinked a couple times against the sunlight filtering through the sky light. It took him a minute to realize that he was no longer at Cyclonia. 

He was finally home.

Something shifted beside him and he looked down. During the night he had moved so that he was lying with his back up against the wall. On of his arms was draped over Jay's waist and the other under her head."

Jay rolled over to face him, her eyes still a little foggy from sleep.

"Morning kiddo" he said warmly.

"Morning" she said back, moving over so that he could get up.

He rolled over and stood up, stretching his arms above his head. "Man… I haven't had good nights sleep for ever." Jay groaned in reply and pulled the covers over her head.

"You're too loud" she muttered, putting a pillow over her head.

Wes grinned and sniffed the air. "Mmm… something smells really good."

"Ah!" Jay cried instantly awake. She shot out of bed yelling, "Pipers making pancakes!" Rushing to the bathroom, she let her hair down and ran a brush through it a couple times. Securing it back up in a rubber band, she dashed back out. "You have to try Piper's pancakes" she said dashing towards the door. "They are a-may-ow!" she cried, running into the door. She paused, grasped the handle, turned it, and swept the door open; exaggerating each movement.

Wes laughed at the look on her face. "Watch it kiddo. You'd think that you've suffered enough damage already."

"Shut up" she muttered, stalking down the hallway and down the stairs. Wes just laughed and followed.

Luckily, the kitchen was large enough to hold everyone. The Silver Falcons and the Storm Hawks were all gathered together, the atmosphere surprisingly light despite the previous day's events.

Piper was at the stove flipping pancakes with a flick of her wrist. Aerrow stood next to her trying to help, but only succeeding in getting in the way. Repeatedly he would reach over to try to do something, but Piper would just give his hand a playful slap. Finally giving up, he turned and leaned against the counter, watching the others.

Junko was already eating, sitting at the table with Tex and Stork. Mikey was standing at the fridge, leaning against the top and drinking a glass of juice.

"Hey, look who's finally up." Crowe said leaning over Tex's shoulder and biting off the piece of pancake he had raised half way to his mouth.

"Hey!" Tex exclaimed, spinning around. But Crowe was to fast for him. She ducked to his other side and snatched the fork out of his hand. Grabbing his plate, she shot to the other side of the table and sat down next to Stork. The merb eyed her wearily and moved his own plate slightly away from her, shielding it with his arm.

Tex stared at her for a second, then let his head drop to the table with a thud. "Why me?" he moaned.

"Because Wes is to smart, Jay is my best friend, and Mikey is too nice" Crowe said matter-of-factly. She patted his arm mockingly. "Face it, you fit the bill just right."

Tex looked up and lunged at her, but Wes stepped in. Grabbing the back of Tex's shirt, he pulled the pilot back into his chair. Tex had to settle for death glares.

"You guys hungry?" Piper asked from the stove.

"You bet!" Wes said, "I haven't had a decent meal in three months." He sat down next to Tex, still holding on to the back of his shirt.

"I'm not all that hungry yet." Jay said, "Where's Finn?"

"Still sleeping as far as I know" Piper answered, setting a plate down in front of Wes.

"Well then I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in a few" Jay said over her shoulder as she walked out the back door.

As it closed behind her Finn walked in. "Smells good Piper… where's Jay?"

* * *

Jay ran across the frost covered backyard. The late morning sun warmed the air around her, causing mist to rise and swirl through the air; eventually disappearing into the clear blue sky. It was going to be a nice day. 

Jay quickly located the path that led to the clearing with the gravestone, and jogged down it. A few minuets later she reached the clearing and stopped. The gravestone stood where she had left it; dark and menacing in the shadows.

"Good riddance" Jay muttered raising her hand and blasting a ball of energy at it. The stone burst in to tiny pieces with a crack. The pieces flew off into the trees, never to be seen again.

"That's quite some power you got there"

Jay spun around, her hand still raised. "Finn! Don't scare me like that!" she said, dropping her hand.

"Sorry" he said unemotionally "let's go for a walk." It came out more like a command then a question.

"Uh, ok" Jay said taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. To her slight surprise, his hand remained rigid. They started off in the opposite direction then Jay had come, Finn slightly ahead. Suddenly Jay stopped, pulling her hand away. "What's that?" she asked pointing to a small, purple crystal hanging around Finn's neck.

"It's nothing" he hissed, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the woods.

Jay pulled away, surprised at his actions. This was definitely not the same Finn she knew. Stepping to the side, she got a better look at the crystal. She instantly recognized it and grabbed at it, yanking it off. The cord around Finn's neck broke with a snap.

Jay screamed and dropped the crystal. The figure before her flickered and Dark Ace stood where 'Finn' had been a moment before. He quickly turned and lunged at her.

* * *

Finn was the first one out the door when the scream rang out, Wes close at his heels. "Jay!" he called, panic in his voice. 

"What?"

Finn turned to where the voice had come from. Jay stepped out of the woods, brushing needles out of her hair. Piper leaned over to Aerrow and pointed to Jay's left. "I could have sworn that the path was over there." She whispered. Aerrow just shrugged and followed the others over to where Jay was standing.

"Are you alright?" Wes asked in concern, gripping Jay by the shoulders.

"Yah, I'm fine" she said, meeting his gaze with unusually harsh eyes. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Finn stepped in. "We herd you scream and-"

Jay cut Finn off with a wave of her hand. "I'm fine. A bird just startled me, that's all."

Wes was unconvinced. "Are you sure that was all?"

"Yes! Geeze Jess!" She threw her hands up in the air and brushed past him, heading for the house.

Wes stared at the vacated space in front of him, confused. _'Jess?' _he thought.

Crowe watched as Jay walked by, suspicion in her eyes. Something caught her eye and she stepped in front of her. "Jay… since when was your necklace purple?"

At this Wes turned instantly rigid and spun around, his eyes flashing. Finn grabbed Jay's arm to get a better look, and gasped. Piper jumped back when she got a closer look. "Oh my god! It's a cloaking crystal! The same type Lark used!"

Finn reached out and ripped the crystal from around Jay's neck. The image of Jay faltered and Ravess appeared in her place, an evil grin upon her face. "It seems you've figured me out."

Crowe lunged for her, but Ravess kicked out, nailing the girl in the chest. Spinning around, she punched Finn in the stomach and sent him sprawling backwards.

Tex leapt forward and caught Crowe, holding her up as she regained her breath. The others formed a circle around Ravess.

"Where is Jay?!" Wes demanded, hate and worry burning in his eyes. "What did you do to her?!"

Ravess smiled cruelly. "Assuming Ace played his part; you're sister and her power now belong to Cyclonia." She laughed and said "Face it, your to late!"

* * *

AN: That was 14 pages! A new record! YAY!! 


	8. Thunder Battle

**Authors Note: I hope you all like this chapter! Plenty of romance, action, and suspense to go around! REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Storm Hawks and I haven't watched it forever!**

**Parings: AerrowXPiper FinnXOC and other random parings.

* * *

**"NO!" Wes cried, quickly turning his head and staring into the dark forest, wide eyed, his face a mask of anguish.

Ravess, taking advantage of the teens let down guard, swiftly drew an arrow and fired it, straight at his heart.

"Wes!" Piper and Crowe shouted in unison.

"No!" Finn cried at the same time.

Wes saw the arrow come at him in slow motion. He knew that this was it. He was going to die. Images flashed through his mind… Jay finding her necklace… His parents on his birthday… Meeting Tex and Mikey… His parents dieing… Jay becoming friends with Crowe… His team coming together… The ship exploding… And finally Jay, on her fourteenth birthday, standing at the edge of a cliff; the rising sun casting an aura of light around her as she turned to face him, smiling… He was going to lose it all.

Suddenly, at the last second, something flashed in front of him, and the arrow disappeared.

Jay launched herself out of the trees as Ravess released the arrow, and snatched it out of the air. Grabbing it between her first and middle finger of her left hand, she used her right to perform a front hand spring; landing a few feet away from Wes with her back to the group. Not even bothering to pause, she spun around and threw the arrow back, Frisbee style, at Ravess.

The talon archer ducked as the arrow shot over her head and buried itself in a tree behind her. 'Damn it Ace!' she thought, staring at the girl who was supposed to be off the terra by now. 'You screwed up again!' She whipped out another arrow and aimed it at Jay. "It worked once, it will work again," she said. She released the cylinder and watched, grinning, as it burst open and the cord raced towards Jay.

But Jay was ready this time. She was sure as hell not going to fall for the same thing twice. She would make them have to think if they wanted to catch her. Ducking and dodging to one side, she reached up and grabbed one of the cool, metal balls. Snapping her wrist, she swung it around over her head once as she stood up. She quickly released it, and sent it flying back at Ravess with twice its original speed and momentum.

Ravess, taken completely by surprise, tried to dodge it, but the cord grazed her head just enough to knock her to the ground. It then veered off and wrapped itself tightly around a tree, nearly cutting it in half. By now the others, save Wes, had run off to grab their weapons, and Ravess new that she would need back up soon. She slowly got to her feet, her eyes shifting from Wes to Jay.

Jay stood glaring at Ravess, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. "No one" Jay said her blue eyes flashing dangerously. "No one threatens to hurt my brother!" She launched herself at Ravess, but was blasted backwards as a blast of red light hit the ground at her feet.

Wes leapt forward and caught Jay, letting out a grunt as she slammed into his chest. Setting her back on her feet, he released her. He stepped protectively in front on her glaring Dark Ace's pulsing sword as the talon stepped from the trees.

"Well, well, well… what have we here?" Dark Ace said, grinning. Turning to Ravess he said, "What do you think? Shall I rip this family apart even more?"

Ravess grinned, drawing another arrow and aiming it at Wes. "I don't know Ace. I mean they just got back together, but then again, he did ruin our other plan. I think he needs to be punished…" she trailed off, wickedness flickering in her eyes.

Just then the door to the house burst open and the others ran back out. "Wes!" Tex shouted from the lead, "catch!" He tossed a belt with two holsters in the air, praying that his aim was good.

Wes reached up and deftly caught the belt, securing it around his waist in the blink on an eye. Drawing his two guns, he grasped then by the barrels and pushed his thumb against the handle. The handles and triggers snapped back, becoming an extended part on the back of the barrels. Jamming the two ends together, Wes twisted each gun ninety degrees in the opposite direction, getting a click from the weapon. A beam on energy shot a good two feet out of each end of the weapon, causing it to become a double sided sword. **(It looks a lot like Darth Mauls light saber from Star Wars except its dark blue)**

"You're outnumbered, Ace" Aerrow said, drawing his blades and activating them. Piper and Crowe followed suit, both simultaneously extending their staffs, and pointing them at Ravess. Piper quickly put in a paralyze crystal and Crowe (as usual) went for a slime one. Finn raised his crossbow and pointed it a Dark Ace as Junko bashed his knuckles together, getting a green glow around his fists.

"Tex" Wes said, advancing on Dark Ace. "Second on the left, six down, eleven in." Tex nodded and dashed inside, signaling for Stork to follow.

"Ace…" Ravess hissed, swiveling her drawn arrow from Jay to Crowe to Piper and back.

"Taken care of," Dark Ace replied. His arm shot up in the air and he blasted a bolt of red light up in to the sky. Aerrow, seeing an opening, leapt forward and attacked. His blades were met with a strong force as Dark Ace blocked his attack. Pushing Aerrow back, the talon whorled around to fend off Wes, who had leapt forward a second later.

A roar overhead caused everyone to pause and look up. A massive cyclonian battle cruiser hovered overhead. Shouts echoed through the woods and tons of talons burst out of the trees, quickly surround the group and forcing the Storm Hawks and the Silver Falcons into a tight group on the far side of the yard.

"It looks like you're the one who is outnumbered now, Aerrow" Dark Ace laughed.

"Get behind me Jay" Wes hissed, glaring at the talons. "It's you their after."

Jay gave a slight nod and stepped back, a plan developing in her mind. The others formed a tight circle around her. 'We need to contact the others' she thought. The others she was referring to were the teams that had agreed to help them. The problem was she needed to get to the house and follow Tex. Suddenly, another idea popped into her head. "I hope this works" she mumbled to herself. Closing her eyes, she began to concentrate on focusing her energy on her hands.

Piper cast a quick glance at Aerrow. "We've got three options, fight, surrender, or make a break for the Condor. I highly doubt we can make it to the Condor without getting caught so that leaves the other two options… it's your call."

"I am _so_ not surrendering to Dork Ace and his posse" Crowe said decisively. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not going down without a fight!"

Aerrow nodded. "I agree, lets do it."

"We need a distraction though… something to let their guard down." Piper interjected.

"I can give you a distraction" Jay said in a strained voice, "but you need to do exactly as I say."

"Okay" Wes said, trusting that his sister knew what she was doing.

"On the count of three, duck," She responded. "One" She dug her nails into her palms as she felt the energy build up in and around them.

"Two" she raised her hands, crossing her arms in front of her face; blue mist swirling around her arms.

"THREE!" she cried, spreading her arms wide.

The others dropped to the ground as a ring of blue light shot over their heads, knocking back everything in its path. Dark Ace had seen this coming a second before everyone else and had dived forward, pulling Ravess to the ground with him. The blue ring shot over their heads, knocking the talons around them back into trees and each other.

"Piper, cover me!" Jay yelled, dropping her arms and taking off towards the house far on the other side of the yard.

Piper and the others leapt to their feet and sprang into action. Aerrow jumped at Dark Ace while Wes dove into a group of talons. Crowe back flipped over and aimed a kick at Ravess, almost nailing her in the shoulder. Finn and Junko took to taking out talons one at a time, and Mikey quickly uprooted a small tree and swung it around baseball bat style.

Piper blasted a bolt from her staff and took off after Jay, but skidded to a halt when a pair of talons stepped in front of her. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed two more box her in. "Alright" she grinned, twirling her staff between her fingers. "You asked for it." She bent backwards, twisting her staff up above her body. The end connected with each of the talons heads in turn causing them to fire their staffs wildly before falling to the ground. Piper flipped over and sprinted of after Jay again.

"Hey Piper, nice moves" Finn said, running up next to her. "I'll take care of Jay. Aerrow needs your help!" With that he dashed off after his girlfriend.

Piper spun around and sprinted towards where she had last seen her Sky Knight and Dark Ace. When she reached the woods and slowed her pace to a creeping walk. She could hear the crashing of feet ahead and knew that she had found them.

Suddenly a talon stepped out from behind a tree in front of her, blocking her path. "Where ya going, girly?" he asked taking a step towards her.

"Past you" she answered, aiming a kick at his head.

But this talon was slightly faster then most. He held up a hand and caught her ankle, twisting it painfully. Piper winced and set her jaw, tensing her muscles. Looking over her other shoulder, she jumped and swung her other leg up and around. It connected with his head, causing him to release her ankle. Tucking her arms to her chest, Piper finished the move by twisting her body around and slamming her foot into his shoulder, sending him sprawling out cold on the ground.

Landing like a cat, Piper picked up her staff, and with a quick glance at the talon, crept towards Aerrow and Dark Ace. Her plan was to catch Dark Ace by surprise, and unarm him.

* * *

Aerrow was trying desperately to force Dark Ace away from the main battle, but was tiring quicker then usual. This was because he had received a nasty gash in his shoulder 

from the talon ringer. He could feel blood trickling down his arm, but ignored it and pressed on.

Aerrow crossed his blades in front of him, bracing himself as Dark Ace slammed his sword into them.

"Your weaker then I last remember" Dark Ace grinned, putting his full weight behind the sword and pushing Aerrow back a couple inches.

"I'm still stronger then you'll ever be," Aerrow said through clenched teeth, silently willing his shoulder not to give out.

The talon's expression darkened. "We'll see about that," he hissed, twisting his sword and pulling it up. Aerrow's blades were ripped out of his grasp and tossed to the ground a few feet away. Dark Ace grasped Aerrow's neck and shoved him up against a nearby tree, bashing his shoulder hard.

Aerrow let out a cry and grabbed at Dark Ace's wrist, trying to pull the tightening hand away, but failing.

"Now tell me where the girl went and _maybe_ I'll let you live a little longer." Dark Ace said in a low voice, putting his face close to Aerrow's.

"You wish" Aerrow hissed back, glaring at the talon.

"Tell me!" Dark Ace yelled furiously, lifting Aerrow off his feet and slamming him into the tree again. Aerrow gasped in pain, but clenched his jaw tightly, not saying a word. Dark Ace cast a quick glance to his side and noticed Piper sneaking through the trees. "Tell me or she dies" he whispered, tightening his grip so that Aerrow couldn't call out. An evil grin spread across his face when Aerrow's eyes widened in terror, and shook his head weakly. "Well, well, well. Do I detect a weakness in you, Sky Knight?" He mocked, casting a quick glance at Piper.

Suddenly he released Aerrow and spun around, pointing his blade at Piper. "A Sky Knight must have no weakness" he said shooting a blast at her.

"PIPER!" Aerrow screamed, launching himself forward with surprising speed, despite his weak state. He jumped into the path of the red light, taking the blast himself. His feet left the ground and he shot backwards, slamming into a tree hard. Letting out a loud, painful moan, he crumpled to the ground, blacking out.

"Aerrow!" Piper cried, running forward and dropping to her knees beside him. "Aerrow, wake up!" She pleaded, placing a hand on his chest. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his heart still beating strong.

But her relief was short lived. Twisting around, she came face to face with the red glow of Dark Ace's blade. "Out of the way Piper, unless you want to die also." he said, tightening his grip on the handle of his sword. "His time has come."

"No," Piper said clenching her jaw and placing herself between Dark Ace and Aerrow. "You'll have to kill me first."

"Fine" Dark Ace raised his blade.

Piper closed her eyes and waited for the deadly blow. But it never came.

"I don't think so" Wes said, appearing out of thin air and blocking Dark Ace's attack with his own blade. He shoved Dark Ace back, away from Piper and Aerrow. "Piper, get out of here" Wes commanded, forcing Dark Ace further back. "Head for the Condor!"

"Im not leaving Aerrow!" she stated firmly, standing and picking up her staff.

"You won't have to," Mikey said appearing by her side. He quickly scooped up Aerrow's limp form and took off through the trees. Piper followed him as he dashed to the Condor. The yard was littered with broken skimmers and hurt talons. It was a horrific sight for Piper, seeing all those bleeding people and hearing their moans of pain. Ravess was no where in sight, but Piper noticed that the back door to the house was open and hanging by its hinges.

Mikey quickly led Piper around the side of the house and over to the Condor. Crowe and Junko were at the base of the ramp, fighting off the remaining talons. Crowe noticed Mikey and blasted a huge wad of slime at a group of talons, clearing a path for him. Piper was grabbed from behind, but was released when Junko socked the talon in the side.

"Let's get out of here!" Crowe cried, kicking one more talon in a sensitive spot and jogging up the ramp. The others followed, closing the ramp behind them. Junko immediately headed to the bridge as the Condor rose into the air, Stork at the controls. Mikey took Aerrow to his room and laid him on his bed, then went to help Junko. Piper and Crowe remained with Aerrow.

Piper slowly sat down next to Aerrow, gazing at his scratched face worriedly. "Crowe?" she said softly, "Could you go get some bandages and a clean towel?"

"Sure" Crowe replied, "I assume everything is in the bathroom?"

Piper nodded and Crowe left. Piper set to work gently pulling Aerrow's shirt away from the gash on his shoulder. He let out a soft moan and his eyes fluttered open. After a second they focused on her. "P…Piper?" he said softly.

Piper looked up at him, relief shining in her eyes. "Aerrow" she sighed, "Oh thank goodness your awake. Don't scare me like that." She went back to pulling at his sleeve, but stopped when Aerrow reached over and put his hand on hers.

"You don't have to do that" he said softly, gazing into her eyes. He started to hoist himself up onto his elbows to help, but fell back when his shoulder gave out. He closed his eyes, waiting for the searing pain to subside, and then tried again.

Piper watched his face twist in pain, and her heart almost broke. She pushed him back onto the pillows when he tried again. "Aerrow, don't hurt yourself more!" She reached up and gently brushed the hair out of his face. "I don't mind, really."

Aerrow smiled softy up at her, giving her hand a squeeze. "Thank you… I don't know what I'd do without you."

Piper smiled and ran a finger down his cheek. "Not get in so much trouble I would hope."

He grinned. "No guarantees there." Piper laughed and gazed into his emerald eyes. She slowly leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. A second later she pulled away, but kept her face only a few inches from his. Their eyes locked together, and she smiled.

He stared up at her for a second then grinned. Wrapping his good arm around her back, he pulled her closer and kissed her back.

* * *

**Backtrack**

Finn glanced to make sure Piper knew where Aerrow was, then took off after Jay. He held up his crossbow and blasted a talon away from her, not even missing a step. He saw her reach the back door and dash inside. Following close behind, he slammed it closed and locked it behind him.

"Jay?" he called, jogging into the hallway. Not seeing her, he started to panic. "Jay!" he called again. Suddenly, something slammed into his back, sending him reeling forward. He grabbed the wall to keep from falling, and spun around, drawing his crossbow. He dropped it though, when he saw who it was. "Dude, Jay… what was that for?"

"What do you mean 'what was that for?'" She spat back, her eyes flashing.

"Whoa, Jay. Calm down, it's just me… Finn. No need to get snappy." He said putting his hands up in front of him.

"Oh yah? Well how do I know you're not lying? How do I know your not really Dark Ace?!" she snapped, her hands beginning to glow faintly.

"Take it easy Jay" he said soothingly. "Look closely, I'm not wearing any crystal." He pointed to his neck. Jay looked and the blue glow faded, but suspicion still showed in her eyes.

"Do you have any proof besides that?" she asked, not wanting to be deceived again.

Finn thought for a second, and then nodded. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him. Grabbing her behind the head, he kissed her, not roughly, but with enough force to cause her to gasp. Pulling away, he grinned. "Could Dark Ace do that?"

"No" she breathed, "No… you're definitely Finn." She grinned. "Good proof."

"Thank you."

Gathering her composer, Jay grabbed his arm and dragged him through a door under the stairs. "In here," she said.

What Finn had originally thought was a closet was actually a nice sized library. Books filled every available space on the dark mahogany shelves of the bookcases that were built into the walls. A red velvet couch and dark green leather chair sat around a table in the center of the room. Opposite from the door, there was a break in the shelves, and a picture hung on the wall. Finn walked over and studied it intently.

The picture showed four people smiling down at him. He immediately recognized Jay and Wes, even though they were only about seven and nine. After gazing at them, his eyes moved to the man and women behind them.

Wes and his father looked quite a bit alike, except for the fact that Wes had lighter hair and softer features. He also had more of his mother's green eyes, and smile. Jay, on the other hand, looked shocking alike to her mother. In fact they were so much alike that Finn at first thought that it was Jay's older twin sister. Jay did have her father's sharp blue eyes though.

"My parents loved to read" Jay said interrupting his thoughts, and counting over bookcases to the left of the portrait. "Wes and I inherited that love… ah, here we go." She said reaching the second bookcase. Looking up, she quickly counted down six shelves, stopping at one that was at her eye level. Placing her finger on the end book's spine, she ran it down the row of books, stopping at the eleventh one in.

"A field guide to Wasteland Creatures?" Finn asked, peering at the title over her shoulder.

"It's a hoax. There are no creatures in the wastelands." she replied pulling the book from the shelf. Opening it, she reveled that it was one of those books that had no pages and you could hide things in. This one held a set of shiny keys. "Reaching back in the space vacated by the book, she felt around until her fingers found a knot in the wood. She pressed down on it hard then quickly replaced the book.

The bookcase gave a click and swung inward. Finn stared in amazement at the inky black staircase before him. "Cool" he whistled.

Jay grinned and flicked on a light switch, hurrying down the steps. "Come on!" she called over her shoulder. Finn followed as she quickly jogged down the steps. Reaching the bottom, they set out down a dimly lit tunnel. Water trickled down the walls, causing them to shimmer eerily. A minute later they reached a fork. The right tunnel was brightly lit and seemed to stretch on forever. The left on the other hand was pitch black and looked like it ended after only a few feet.

Jay reached out and took Finn's had, leading him down the left side. He gripped her hand a little tighter as the blackness swallowed them up. "Where are we going?" he asked, his voice seeming to come from nowhere.

"You'll see" her voice echoed from in front of him. Had he not been holding her hand, he would have never have known that she was there. Suddenly, he bumped into her. She had stopped in front of a seemingly solid wall. A soft glow from a key pad built into the wall illuminated the concentrated look on her face as she typed in a series of numbers. Hitting enter, she stepped back into Finn's chest as a panel slid open in front of her, reveling a large, lit cavern.

In the center of the cavern was a medium sized, gleaming, grey airship. Its twin engines were placed strategically parallel with the main body of the ship, allowing for less air resistance. **(It looks like a cross between the Condor and a Naboo Star Fighter) **

"Finn" Jay said proudly, stepping into the cavern and sweeping her arm dramatically towards the ship. "My I present my parents old, but reliable, airship; the Osprey." She grinned,then turned and hurried towards the bow of the ship. "Tex?" she called, her footsteps echoing off the walls.

"Jay?" Tex responded, appearing from around the far side of the Osprey. "Good, your still here. I thought the Cyclonians got you."

Jay placed her hands in her hips, a mischievous spark in her eyes. "Well I am pretty good at playing hard to get."

"True" Tex said, "But not as good as Crowe." He quickly turned to face the ship, hiding his blush, and ran a hand though his hair in vain. "So much for getting her out of here. I can't find the keys anywhere!"

Jay tapped him on the shoulder and jingled the keys in his face. "You mean these?" she teased.

"Yah! Thanks," he reached for them, but Jay pulled them away.

"I don't think so. I found them so I get to drive." She stated, putting the keys behind her back. Just then a faint voice echoed down the passageway.

"Hey! I found a hidden staircase!"

"Well don't just stand there! Follow it!"

"Yes Ravess, sir…uh, ma'am!"

Finn slammed the panel closed and turned to the other two. "I think it's time to get out of here." He said running to the ship.

"On second thought… you drive" Jay said tensely tossing the keys to Tex and taking off up the ramp.

"Thank you!" Tex breathed exasperated. He quickly made his way up to the bridge on the third level of the Osprey, Finn and Jay at his heels. Swiftly crossing the bridge, he jammed the key into the ignition and twisted. The main crystal engine that powered the whole ship gave a loud roar, coughed and died.

"Damn it!" Tex cried, trying again. He got the same result. Sprinting over to the engine box, he banged the lid open. "Damn it!" he cried again, leaning forward so that his upper body was completely inside the box.

"What's wrong with it?" Jay said grabbing the back of his shirt so that he wouldn't fall in.

"Arg! I suspected this might happen." Tex's muffled voice echoed from inside. "The crystals haven't been used in such a long time that all their energy is locked deep inside them. The only way to release that energy would be to jump them, but we don't have anything with enough juice to spike the whole engine at once!" he finished, hauling himself out of the box. "We'd have to do one crystal at a time, and that could take hours… even days!" He threw his hands up in the air helplessly.

"Well there's got to be something!" Jay said, banging open storage cabinets.

"Uh guys… I hate to break up the party, but they found us" Finn said franticly from the window.

"I've got an idea, start her up" Jay suddenly cried, pushing Tex towards the controls, and then turned to the engine. Placing her hands over the top, she closed her eyes and focused all her energy on them. Tex, seeing what she was trying to do, leapt at the controls and twisted the key. The engine started to turn, but suddenly choked and stopped.

"Again" Jay commanded, setting her jaw and forcing more energy into her hands. She could feel the energy pulsing through her body and flowing through her finger tips. The crystals in the engine started to pulse with light as well, but when Tex tried the key again, it turned over once then quit.

"We need to get out of here… now!" Finn cried, his eyes glued to the window. "That or face off with them!"

"Jay!" Tex said, his voiced stressed. "We have to fight!"

"No! One more time!"

Tex set his jaw and gave the key one final twist, holding it there. The motor choked again and again, but wouldn't turn over. Jay let out an exasperated cry and a burst of energy shot from her hands into the crystals. Suddenly the motor caught and roared to life, causing the Osprey to rise off the ground a few feet.

"Go Tex" She gasped, slamming the lid down and sinking to her knees. The Azure stone sucked more of her energy then she had expected. Finn immediately stepped over and lifted her to her feet, supporting her while she breathed.

Tex threw the Osprey into gear and pulled a lever on his left. The Osprey shot straight up in the air, rapidly gaining speed with each second. He watched the altitude needle intently, a concentrated frown on his face. When it reached a certain point, he yanked the lever back and the Osprey came to a dead stop, throwing Finn and Jay to the ground.

Before Finn could register what had happened, Tex had flicked a switch above his head and opened the throttle all the way. Two powerful spot lights came on outside the bridge, illuminating the tight tunnel they were now racing through at top speed. Finn watched the black walls race by as Tex expertly navigated the tight turns of the tunnel.

Suddenly, after a particularly sharp turn, the Osprey burst out of a gap in the cliff-like side of the terra, and into open air. Tex slowed the ship to about half speed, but kept his course away from the terra. Without taking his eyes from the now cloud filled sky ahead, he reached up and turned off the overhead lights.

Jay slowly got up and walked over to a small radio that was placed beside the controls. She switched it on and picked up the small, hand-held communicator. Just as she was about to talk, a burst of static came from the radio and a voice came through the small speaker.

"Aerrow? It's Meeko. Were on our way to help, so hang tight. Don't worry about contacting the others; we'll take care of that. Just get out of there."

"Alright, thanks" Aerrow's voice replied. There was a click, and then the radio fell silent.

Jay slowly replaced the communicator and shrugged. "Looks like Aerrow beat me to it."

"Shouldn't we call Aerrow and let him know that were all ok?" Finn asked.

"Not yet" Tex replied from the controls. "Let's get further away first."

Jay nodded and sank into a chair. "I hope none of them are badly hurt."

Finn walked over and bent down in front of her so that their eyes were level. "Don't worry. I'm sure their all fine." He smiled and his gaze traveled from her face to her arm. "You should really change that" he said, pointing at the dirty, blood soaked bandage around her arm.

Jay looked at it then nodded again. "Will you help me?" she asked softly.

He smiled and pulled her to her feet. "Of course."

* * *

Wes forced Dark Ace further and further back into the forest. 'Man' he thought, 'this guy has more stamina then I expected!' He forced that thought away and pushed on, silently praying that his own exhaustion didn't show. 

But Dark Ace could tell the teen was tiring. He himself had been storing up extra energy and just dodging Wes, toying with the teen in a way. He was staying just out of the boy's reach, waiting for the right moment to strike. That moment was now.

Dark Ace suddenly leapt to the side of Wes. He twisted in the air and slashed at the Silver Falcon with his blade.

Wes cried out as the tip of the blade ripped through his side, creating a searing pain that shot up his back and momentarily caused his vision to fail. He fell to his knees, holding his side with one hand and gritting his teeth against the pain. He could feel his hand become warm and sticky as the gash began to bleed. Forcing himself to ignore the immense pain, he grabbed a nearby tree for support and hauled himself to his feet, leaning against the tree to keep from falling.

Dark Ace landed and turned as Wes fell. He watched the teen wearily as he painfully got to his feet. "Looks like you failed Sky Knight. The girls as good as ours," he said grinning as he turned to go, kicking Wes's blade away on the process.

"No!" Wes cried weakly. Using all the energy he had left, he launched himself at Dark Ace, wanting desperately to bring him down.

The talon glanced over his shoulder and neatly step sided Wes, kicking him hard in the stomach. Wes groaned and crumpled to the ground, coughing up small amounts of blood. Dark Ace laughed, but jerked his head up and stopped when Ravess burst through the trees on her skimmer.

"She got away again!" she cried shrilly to Dark Ace. Without even pausing, she took off past them into the trees.

Wes slowly got to his feet again, the pain so bad that he could barley stand. Forcing himself to ignore it again, he wiped away the blood that was trickling form the corner of his mouth. "It… it looks like…you are the one that failed…Dork Ace," he said in between ragged breaths.

Dark Ace spun around and punched him hard in the jaw. Wes reeled back and slammed into a tree. Before he could fall the ground, Dark Ace grabbed his shirt collar and slammed him against the tree hard. "You" he growled, intense anger in his eyes. "You ruined everything! This is all your fault!" He threw the weak Wes to the ground roughly. Wes cried out as his side hit the ground, the pain causing him to become dizzy.

But Dark Ace wasn't finished yet. He walked over to the curled up figure and picked him up by the collar again. "Now" he demanded, venom dripping from his voice. "Tell me where she's going."

"I'd… I'd rather die… then tell… you" Wes gasped, his eyes flashing.

A boom of thunder masked Wes's next cry as Dark Ace kneed him hard in the side. He sank to the ground heavily, the pain so bad now that he couldn't see anything but white spots. Lying on his back, his breathing became labored, and he was only half aware of his surroundings.

Dark Ace picked up his dropped sword and held it so that it hovered over Wes's neck. "That can be arranged" he said darkly, raising the blade.

Wes closed his eyes, waiting for the blow that would end his life. He had done his part, and kept his word. Jay was safe, and that's all that mattered to him. If he had to die now, at least it wouldn't be in vain.

"Put it down Ace" A voice rang out from somewhere behind them. Dark Ace dropped his sword and turned around quickly. "M… Master Cyclonis?" he said surprised. "What are you-?"

"I don't have time for your stupid questions. We have to go… now." she hissed, her voice soft but intense.

"But what about-?" Dark Ace started, but Cyclonis cut him off again.

"Leave the Sky Knight" she said firmly, glancing down at Wes. "He won't make it anyways." She turned and glided off through the forest. Dark Ace gave Wes one more look, and then followed.

When their footsteps had faded away, Wes moaned painfully. As he lay their helplessly, he was aware of raindrops starting to fall on his face. After a second, he tried to raise his upper body, but fell back when his side screamed in pain. He lay on the damp ground weakly, allowing his head to fall to the side, his face distorted in pain.

His breathing slowly became shallower and shallower. His body was becoming numb and everything fogged up in his brain. Wes could feel the blood soaking through his shirt and pooling on the ground under him. It began to rain harder and Wes could feel his body slowly start to give up and shut down.

"Don't… let them get you… kiddo…" he whispered to the wind. Then everything faded and Wes's body went limp as he blacked out.


	9. Tears, Kissis, and Cookies!

**Authors Note: My goal for this chapter is to make you cry. Please tell me if I did. I got my sister to cry and she NEVER cries! That is a good sign!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Storm Hawks… and they need to make a movie… with Jay!**

**Do you (my readers) think I should make this a trilogy? I have a really good idea for a third one!

* * *

**"There you go, Jay," Finn said grinning and giving the bandage a final tug. "You're all set."

"Thanks Finn. You know I…" she suddenly froze and her eyes grew wide as something in the pit of her stomach jolted. "Wes" she whispered.

Finn touched her shoulder in concern. "What is it?"

She grabbed his arm tightly. "Wes is in trouble!" she said urgently, then spun around and dashed out the door. "Tex!" she cried, bursting through the door to the bridge.

"Yo," Tex said glancing over his shoulder lazily. When his eyes met hers however, his expression changed. "Oh no… its Wes isn't it?" When she nodded, wide eyed he pointed to the radio. "Call Piper, tell her were going back," he said, a deep frown on his face.

"Wait a second," Finn said holding his hands up, "How do you know he's in trouble? How do you know he's not on the Condor?"

Tex banked the Osprey and answered. "You already know that Wes and Jay are family. They are especially close since they lost their parents, and are able to tell when one desperately needs the other." His brow creased in concern as he spoke. "The same thing happened not to long ago, when Wes was hanging off the side of a cliff after a plan to steal some cyclonian's crystals went haywire. If we hadn't found him when we did, he would have fallen into the wastelands."

"Piper?" Jay said through the radio. "It's Jay, can you hear me?" She released the talk button and waited tensely. A second later there was a burst of static.

"Jay? It's Crowe. What's up girl? You guys all alright?"

"Crowe," Jay demanded, her voice edged with panic. "Tell me Wes is there with you!"

"No…" Crowe replied slowly, "Isn't he with you?" But Jay didn't reply. She dropped the communicator and stared out the window, her eyes burning with hatred.

"Dark Ace," she growled. "If you did _anything _to hurt him, you are going to wish you were never born." She clenched her fists as she spoke, and a blue mist began to swirl around them. Finn walked over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, unsure of what to say.

"Jay? Jay, you still there?" Crowe's voice echoed over the radio. Tex reached over the controls and picked up the dropped communicator, his eyes not leaving the darkening sky.

"Crowe? Tex here."

"Well hey dorkweed! What happened to Jay?"

"Listen Crowe, this isn't the time to be a smart ass. Wes isn't here and Jay just got one of her feelings. Were going back."

"I am not a smart- wait, what?! Jay got a…?! Holy crud… this is not good!"

There was the sound of movement then Piper cut in. "You can't go back! It might not be safe!"

"Piper," Tex said firmly, "If you got the feeling that Aerrow's life depended on you, would you keep flying away?"

There was a long pause then Piper's voice came back on. "No, I wouldn't. But what if the cycloniens are still there?"

"That's a risk we will have to take," Tex replied firmly. He placed the communicator back on the holder, and squinted into the clouds.

"Alright," Aerrow's voice came this time. "We'll meet you there."

Tex glanced at Finn and Jay. "Hold on you guys," he said, flicking a switch above his head. The lights on the bridge dimmed and the engines gave a massive roar. Tex grasped the throttle and threw it wide open, sending the Osprey shooting back the way they had come.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, the skies over Terra Thundaris, though dark and rainy, were clear of cycloniens. "The Ammon Guardians and the others did a good job," Tex remarked. Even so, he flew low and close to the edge of the terra just to be safe. 

"Look, there's the Condor," Finn said pointing to a clearing next to the edge of the terra. Sure enough, the shadow of the Condor could be seen sitting on the ground, outlined in the pouring rain. Tex eyed the clearing and circled over it once. Then he brought the Osprey down across from the Condor.

By this point Jay was so frantic with worry that as soon as the Osprey touched the ground she had shot off the bridge. All Finn had to do was blink and she was gone.

Tex cut the engines and pulled the keys out. Depositing them in his pocket, he turned and jogged past Finn. "Let's go," he said tersely, a deep, worried frown on his face.

When Finn and Tex jogged out into the pouring rain, they found the others huddled near each other at the base of the Condor. Piper and Crowe were desperately holding Jay back by her arms, preventing her from running into the dark woods.

"Let me go!" she cried. "I have to find Wes!"

"Jay, stop," Piper ordered. "You are _not_ going in there alone. It could be a trap!"

"I don't care!" Jay sobbed, struggling more violently. "I have to find him before its too late!" She wrenched away and stumbled forward, heading for the woods. Piper and Crowe tried to grab her but she managed slipped away. Aerrow lunged forward and succeeded in grabbing her wrist, but she turned and twisted out of his grasp, running towards the dark forest.

Just before she reached the trees, Mikey jumped forward and picked her up, pinning her arms to her sides. He turned and made his way back to the group. "Pipers right," he said soothingly to her. "We have no idea what's out there."

"I know Wes is out there, and I know he needs me!" she cried, struggling desperately against his strong grip.

"Jay, get a grip!" Crowe said sharply, slapping the blond girl across the cheek. "You know that Piper's right, so why don't you shut up and listen to her! The faster you do that, the faster we can start looking, and the faster we'll find Wes!"

Jay stopped struggling and looked into her friends serious, violet eyes. Then she dropped her head in defeat and her body went limp. She bit her bottom lip, fight back tears, but kept quite.

"Okay" Piper said, taking control of the situation. "I propose that we break into groups. One group will search from the sky. Another will search by foot. One person should stay and try to contact Meeko. I know that his teammate Rheas is a certified medic and we may need her.

At this remark Jay let out a choking sob. She felt another, much stronger jolt in her gut, and she knew that Wes's situation was worse then she had originally thought, and she had thought it was pretty bad in the first place.

"It's just a precaution Jay," Piper said in an attempt to calm her down. "I'm sure if he hurt its only minor."

"No!" Jay cried defiantly, her eyes wide with pain and fear. "He's hurt bad… I can feel it! We have to find him, now!" She shut her eyes tightly, and started to wriggle in a vain attempt to get free.

"Okay," Piper said turning the rest of group who were watching with pity in their eyes. "Stork, see if you can get a hold of Meeko. Tex, Crowe, Jay and I will search the woods. The rest of you search from the air!" she called over the rising wind.

Tex grabbed Crowe's arm and dragged her towards the woods. "Let's go," he yelled. She nodded tightly and actually allowed herself to be pulled into the trees without objecting. Mikey let go of Jay and the blond shot off into the woods so fast it was all Piper could do to keep up.

"You herd Piper," Aerrow called, dashing to his skimmer. "Let's move!"

* * *

"Do you see anything, Crowe?" Tex called up into the pouring rain. 

"No," Crowe answered dropping to the ground in front of him, water dripping off her hair as she shook her head. "Nothing."

"This is not good. Wes must be in serious trouble if he hasn't left any sign for us," he said grimly, running a hand through his wet hair.

"Tex?" Crowe's voice wavered. He looked at her in concern. Her voice never wavered. Crowe never got scared or even nervous at that. At least he had never seen her this way, and they had known each other most of their lives.

"Yes?" he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"We… we will find him, wont we? I…I mean I don't know if our team could ever be the same without him."

"We will search the whole damn terra if we have to, and we will do it over and over again until we find him." Tex placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head up so that their eyes met. "Have faith, Crowe. I am sure Wes is fine. He is one of the strongest people we know. I fact, I bet Jay has already found him." He finished, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Just then a scream of terror echoed through the forest. Tex and Crowe looked at each other, eyes wide. "Jay!" they cried in unison. Together they spun around in the direction of the scream and took off.

* * *

"Oh my god!" Jay cried, falling to her knees next to the bloody, lifeless form of her brother. Her hand flew to her mouth in shock as her eyes fell upon the long gash in his side. Tears immediately started flowing from her eyes as she stared her worst nightmare in the face. "No… no Wes… no!" 

Tex and Crowe burst through the trees then, breathing heavily from running so fast. "Jay, we herd you scream and… oh my god!" Crowe cried, her eyes falling on Wes.

"Crowe, you have to signal Aerrow somehow," Piper ordered, crouching down on Wes's other side. "Tell him that he needs to go back and get Meeko and Rheas here now!" As she spoke, she reached down and picked up Wes's wrist.

Crowe nodded and swiftly climbed up the nearest tree. A second later, their was the roar of several skimmers and shouting voices. Then one roared off and the others could be herd landing nearby.

Piper pressed her finger into Wes's wrist as Aerrow, Mikey, and Junko rushed up. The pulse she was desperately trying to find was so faint that Piper couldn't feel it. Her heart sank.

"Wes," Jay was sobbing, shaking his shoulders gently. "Please… you have to wake up… Wes, please!" she looked at Piper, her eyes full of fear.

The dark haired girl bowed her head, not knowing what to say. Jay's eyes registered shock and she looked into her brothers pain filled face. "No! No, Wes…no! Come back!" she begged, grabbing the front of his shirt in vain and sobbing harder. "Don't leave me! I…I need you! Please… come back!"

Crowe felt tears welling up in her eyes as she listened to the horrible sound of her best friend's desperate screaming and begging. Her eyes finally absorbed the form of her fearless leader's lifeless body as more then just a bad dream, and a few of those tears rolled down her cheeks. She turned away not wanting anyone to see her cry, but bumped into Tex, who had moved up silently behind her. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and looked up into his sad, tear filled crimson eyes.

He put a hand on her shoulder gently. "It's… its okay to cry," he said softly, his words coming out slightly choked.

Crowe suddenly buried her face in his chest, holding on to fistfuls of his jacket tightly. She began to sob violently, her small form shaking. Tex wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him tightly, desperately wanting this to all be a horrible nightmare, but as he pressed his face into her silvery hair, he realized that it was reality, and he to began to cry.

Jay pressed her face into Wes's chest, still gripping his shirt tightly. "No…no! This cant be happening!" she sobbed. "Wes, you can't die… you promised you wouldn't leave me… you promised! Please, come back!"

Finn ran up then, his hair plastered to his face. He froze when he saw the scene before him. "No way," he whispered, "No way."

Piper quickly got to her feet and hurried over to him. "What did Meeko say?" she asked urgently.

Finn's attention snapped back. "He said they'll be here as soon as possible, be he doesn't know when they will be able to break free from the cyclonians. He said it could be a while." He answered softly.

Piper slowly sank to her knees, and stared at the ground, her eyes flooded with tears. "Then were too late," she whispered.

Aerrow crouched down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure their isn't anything we can do?" he asked, searching her eyes.

Piper shook her head. "If there is, I don't know what…" She looked sadly over at Wes and Jay, and for a second, her eyes didn't see them. For a second, she saw Aerrow's body lying on the ground, bloody and lifeless. And it wasn't Jay kneeling over him, but herself. Piper did a double take and the horrible image disappeared, but her heart was still beating quickly in her chest. She looked at the real Aerrow, who was staring at he ground next to her. She reached out slowly and touched his arm, as if expecting him to disappear before her eyes. But, to her relief, he turned at looked at her, his sorrow filled eyes meeting her own. He slowly leaned forward and pulled her into a tight hug, one hand around her back and the other behind her head. Piper's lower lip trembled as she fought against the sadness that threatened to overwhelm her. It was to strong though, and she soon found herself crying into his shoulder.

"I can't believe were too late," Finn whispered in disbelief, his eyes gazing shocked into space. "I can't believe we can't save him."

Aerrow looked over at Wes and Jay, and his eyes widened. "Maybe were not too late!" he said pointing. "Look!"

* * *

Jay gripped her brother's shirt and sobbed into his chest. The thoughts of life without him forced their way into their mind, and she started to cry harder. How would she ever be able to live without him? Who would tease her? Who would drag her into the water on Tropica when they went there? Who would sing to her when she was down? How would she survive? 

Unbeknownst to her, the blue stone around her neck had begun to pulse with energy, growing slightly brighter with each second. When it had reached a bright, but not blinding glow, a thin beam of misty light began to snake its way down Wes's chest. It reached the wound on his side and paused.

Then it suddenly started to wrap itself around his waist, spinning so fast that it became a thin blur of blue. Slowly, the beam started to widen until it had completely covered the wound. Then it slowed and pulsed in time to Jay's sobs. After a few minuets, Jay quieted down and the blue light dulled, melting into the wound. It eventually faded away completely, leaving a long scar where the gash used to be.

Jay was too absorbed in her own sad thoughts to realize that Wes's chest had begun to rise and fall stronger and more steadily. His eyes fluttered open, and it took him a second to register where he was._ "I'm… I'm alive?"_ he thought in disbelief. As his body slowly came back online, he was aware of a dull ach in his side and of a weight on his chest. Raising his head slowly, he realized that Jay was pressing her face in to his chest, her body shaking with silent sobs.

"Please," she whispered in one final vain attempt. "Wes… come back. I'm… I'm not strong enough to lose you again. Please… don't abandon me."

Wes's expression softened and he slowly reached up and placed his hand on her back. "I would never abandon you, Jay," he said softly. "I love you to much to hurt you like that."

Jay looked up sharply, her eyes wide with mixed emotion. "W…Wes?" she whispered disbelievingly.

"It's okay," he said soothingly as his eyes met hers. "I'm here."

"Oh thank god you're alive!" Jay cried, throwing her arms around his neck.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," he joked weakly. Struggling into a better position, he hugged her back with all the strength he could muster. "But it was you who saved me… again," he whispered into her hair. "I owe you, Jay. I owe you my life… and more."

Jay pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked deep into his eyes. "No," she said softly, a few tears running down her cheeks. "You owe me nothing." She tenderly brushed the hair out of his face and her voice softened. "Just you being here with me is more then enough."

Wes smiled lovingly at his sister and ruffled her hair. "Thanks kiddo… you have no idea how much that means to me," he said weakly. Then he heaved a great sigh and closed his eyes, allowing his body to go limp. His body was to tiered and weak from loss of blood to support him anymore, but he was alive.

Jay put her arms around her brother's shoulders as he lay back, and pulled him to her. "I love you so much," she whispered as she buried her face in his hair. Fresh tears began to flow down her face, but for once they were tears of joy. "I… I just thought I had… lost you."

She felt his hand come up and he laced his fingers in hers. "But you didn't, and I'm here now. I won't leave you alone." His voice weak and labored due to his state of being, but he managed to give her hand a squeeze.

Jay smiled into his hair. "I know," was all she could manage to say. She felt something move up beside her and looked up. Tex, Crowe, and Mikey were all standing around her, staring down with worry in their eyes. Jay smiled up at them through her tears. "He's alive," she said softly, her eyes shining.

Tex heaved a tremendous sigh of relief and ran a hand through his hair, smiling. Mikey let out a war whoop, leaping into the air. Crowe swiftly kneeled down and gave her leader a quick hug. "You had Tex so scared he almost wet himself," she said grinning.

A look of shock crossed Tex's face, followed closely by a look of rage. "I did not! And you were so scared you were crying!"

Crowe casually got up and dusted herself off saying, "No I wasn't… I just had something in my eye." She turned and walked up to him. Glaring up at his face, she jabbed her finger into his chest. "That never happened," she muttered in a low and very dangerous voice. Tex knew he had hit home and just laughed in reply. He ruffled her hair, which only succeded in getting him a cry of protest, and a swift kick behind the knees.

* * *

Aerrow mock saluted as the Osprey took off, heading for the hospital on Terra Neon. They had all agreed that it would be for the best, since Wes kept fading in and out of consciousness. It had been decided that the Storm Hawks would meet up with the other teams that had helped distract the cyclonians, and help them with the battle… that is, if it was still going on. The Silver Falcons would meet up with them as soon as Wes was well enough to give commands. He had said that he would help fight as soon as they met up, but everyone knew that Jay was not going to let him off the Osprey until she was sure that he had one hundred percent of his strength back. 

Aerrow watched as the Osprey got smaller and smaller. Then he turned and strolled up the ramp of the Condor. He had told Stork that there was no need to take off until they could contact Xenon to see if they were needed.

Aerrow pressed a button on the wall, closing the ramp behind him. He slowly made his way through the dimly lit hanger and up the spiral staircase to the hallway that held the crews sleeping quarters. He paused when he saw Piper leaning against the wall ahead, her back to him. "Hey Piper," he said casually.

Piper gave a little jump and her hand went to her face, as if wiping something away. "Oh, hey," she replied, trying to sound nonchalant, but Aerrow caught the waver in her voice.

He frowned and walked up behind her. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

She nodded and turned to face him, forcing a casual smile. "I'm fine, really. I was just thinking about stuff…" she trailed off.

Aerrow slowly reached up and gently traced the fresh tear stain running down her cheek. He stopped when he reached her chin and gently tilted it up so that he was looking straight into her eyes. "Piper… tell me what's bothering you."

Piper looked down at the ground and her lower lip began to tremble. She turned away and wrapped her arms around herself. "This is going to sound really selfish but… oh, Aerrow! What if that had been you lying there?! I could have lost you! I… I still could lose you."

His expression softened and he gently turned her around, pulling her into a hug. "But it wasn't, and I'm here now. I will not leave you Piper. I hope you know that."

Piper took a deep breath and nodded. She looked up, a small frown on her face. "Yes I do, but I still worry. I mean with all the crazy stunts you pull…" she trailed off as Aerrow put his finger over her lips.

"Shh… Piper, there is something you need to understand. I fight the way I do because of you. The feeling I get when I fight for you is indescribable. I feel ten times stronger then I am, and I feel that nothing can stand in my way. The first time we took on Dark Ace, a million doubts ran through my mind. I mean, here we were… a bunch of kids fighting against one of the most feared, and most skilled talons in Atmos. But we beat him. You want to know why? Because the only thing I could think of while I was fighting him was you." He reached up and gently brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You give me the strength I need to push on, Piper. No matter how unbeatable the odds may seem, I know I will always pull through because I have something worth fight for."

For the first time she could remember, Piper was at a total loss for words. She looked up into his shining emerald green eyes, and knew that he meant every word. He placed his hands on her shoulders and his voice softened as he went on.

"You are my world Piper. You bring light into even the darkest of times. You're smile makes all the troubles in the world seem to just up and disappear. It is for you that I wake up every morning, ready to take on whatever lies ahead. It is also for you that I take risks. I want to make Atmos a safe place for you." He cupped her face in his hands, brushing her tears away with his thumbs.

"I will never leave you, Piper, for it would kill me if I ever hurt you that much. I want to be by your side forever. I want to always be there for you, to protect you. I want to be the one that you vent to when you are angry. The one whose shoulder you turn to to cry on. The one who is always there when you need them, because I need you. Piper, I am who I am because of you." His voice dropped to a whisper as he finished. "I love you."

Piper burst into tears. "Oh Aerrow! I love you too! You make me feel like the happiest person in all of Atmos. I don't ever want us to be apart! I…I…" she quieted as Aerrow put his finger to her lips again. He leaned his forehead up against hers.

"Don't tell me," he whispered, their faces only inches apart. "Show me."

Piper's eyes fluttered closed as she lifted her face to meet his. Her arms snaked around his neck as they kissed, both feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted off their shoulders.

When they pulled away a couple minuets later, Aerrow asked the question that had been tugging at the back of his mind since their kiss back at Cyclonia. "Uh, Piper? Would you consider us to be… more then friends?" he asked a bit nervously. He had to admit that he was dreading a negative answer.

Piper looked a little surprised by the question. "Well yes, I have since Cyclonia…why? Do you not?" she said urgently.

Aerrow gave her a relieved smile. "No… I do. So now we can officially call ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend." He grinned and leaned in to kiss her again, but paused when a voice echoed over the intercom.

"Yo, love hawks," Finns obnoxious voice rang through the Condor. "You guys still snogging it up in the hallway? I mean talk about- ow! Aerrow, Stork just hit me!"

There was a tremendous crash and a yelp, and then Storks voice came over. "Fixed it," he said simply. Aerrow smirked and leaned in, but was interrupted again when Stork said, "Also, Starling just radioed in. Something about a Repton problem? Anyways, she wants out help," he said flatly.

Aerrow scowled at the speaker on the wall. Piper grinned. "Never a dull moment in the life of a Storm Hawk," she giggled.

"So true," he muttered. He glanced at the speaker, as if challenging it to interrupt him again.

"We'd better go," Piper said a hint of disappointment in her voice. But as she took a step towards the bridge, Aerrow grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him.

"Starling can wait one more minuet," he said, then pressed his lips to hers. Piper smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him, twisting her fingers in his hair. He snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer as the Condor roared to life and took off.

* * *

"Tex," Jay said to the pilot as he leaned against the controls lazily. "You sure you'll be fine here alone?" 

"Yah, yah, Jay. No worries," he waved his hand dismissively. "You, Mikey, and Crowe go take care of Wes. I'll hold down the fort here."

"You are sure," Jay asked one last time.

"Yes already!" Tex said exasperated. He pushed her towards the door. "I've done it before, I think I can do it again."

Just then the door opened and Crowe poked her head in. "Let's go, Jay. Mikey's waiting!"

"Okay," Jay replied. She followed Crowe out the door, down two flights of stairs, and into the hanger. Mikey was waiting there, carrying Wes on his back piggy-back style. Wes was sleeping soundly, murmuring unintelligible things occasionally then sighing. Jay was by his side instantly, her hand resting on his back.

Crowe tapped her on the shoulder. "If you don't mind, I think I'll stay and keep Tex company," she said with a sly grin.

Jay smirked. "Just don't kill him, okay?"

"I'll try my best not to," she replied, heading towards the stairs, a plan brewing in her mind. "No guarantees though."

Jay shook her head and grinned, then turned to Mikey. "We'd better get going before Wes gets any worse." She cast a worried filled glance at her brother. He looked okay on the outside, but was still pale and extremely weak. She was worried about what might be going on inside that they didn't know about.

"Your right," Mikey said, starting off into the city. The had landed right outside of town, away from the rest of the airships visiting Terra Neon. Jay had to practically run to keep up with Mikey's long strides. "So Jay," he said after a few minuets. "You and Finn…?"

She blushed, not noticing that Wes had opened one on his eyes and was listening intently. "Well…Don't tell Wes this, but I guess you could say we..."

* * *

Crowe crept down the hallway that led to the bridge. She paused when she reached the door, though. _'To loud'_ she thought, glancing around her for another way in. Her eyes zoned in on the air vent in the wall above her head. She grinned and worked it all out in her mind, making sure that that particular duct went to the bridge. Then she turned and sprung up, her fingers latching on to the webbing of the grate. It held her weight for a second, and then popped out of the wall with a light squeak. Crowe landed silently on the ground below, listening intently for any noise from the bridge. Hearing nothing, she gently leaned the great up against the wall. Then she backed up and took a huge leap, pushing her foot off the wall for added height. She grabbed the edge of the hole in the wall and, with a soft grunt, heaved herself inside. 

She silently crawled through the duct until she reached the next grate, this one on the floor of the vent. Peering down through it, she spotted Tex, his head under the controls as if looking for something. Crowe grinned. "To easy," she sniggered, silently pulling the grate into the duct. She swung her legs over the side, retaining a giggle.

Suddenly, she pushed herself forward and dropped through the opening, landing directly behind Tex with a thump. As soon as she hit the ground she yelled, "WHAT 'CHA DOIN' TEX?!"

Tex let out a girlish scream and jumped, banging his head hard on the bottom of the control panel. He moaned and put a hand on his throbbing head, glaring behind him. "Crowe," he growled, "I should have known."

"Yes," she replied, grinning. "You should have."

Tex got to his feet and made an attempt to grab her, but she had already shot out the door. "Get back here!" he cried, taking off after her.

He raced outside the door and paused, trying to figure out where she went. Suddenly, a noise above his head caused him to look up. He saw a flash of silver before something slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground. "CROWE!" he cried, reaching around to pull her off him. She simply reached out and poked him at the base of his neck, and his limbs instantly went numb. She laughed as Tex groaned. "I hate you," he hissed.

"Aww… thank you," she teased, ruffling his hair. Then a thoughtful look crossed her face. "You know… I'm kinda hungry." She said, getting off of him and disappearing down a small side hallway that led to the kitchen.

"DON'T EAT THE LAST COOKIE!" Tex cried, trying to get up but failing. "IT'S MINE!"

He was answered with a laugh. "Thanks Tex! A cookie does sound really good right now!"

Tex let out an angry moan and banged his head into the floor. A second later the feeling returned to his limbs and he shot down the hallway. Banging open the door, he spotted Crowe on the other side of the kitchen, sunlight from the window causing her silver hair to shimmer.

She spun around from the window and looked at him, a chocolate chip cookie in her hand. Tex marched towards her. "Don't even think about it," he warned.

Crowe grinned and dramatically raised the cookie to her mouth, fending of Tex with her other hand. He grabbed her wrist and stepped closer just as she bit into half the cookie. Tex growled and reached for it, but Crowe grabbed his wrist. She grinned, half the cookie sticking out of her mouth.

Tex frowned. She was not going to let go of his wrist and he was sure as hell not letting go of hers. So he did the only thing he could think of. He leaned in and grabbed the cookie in his own mouth, tugging at it gently.

Crowe gave a slight gasp as Tex's lips brushed up against hers. She involuntarily released the cookie and blushed, her mouth in a slight o shape.

Tex pulled back slightly, also blushing. He too had felt their lips touch, and he too felt them tingling now. His mouth opened slightly and the cookie fell to the floor at his feet. "Crowe," he whispered. "You owe me a cookie."

"Tex," she breathed back, her eyes wide at how close they were. She looked deep into his crimson eyes, so near to hers, and her heart began to flutter. "I owe you nothing dorkweed."

Tex held her gaze as he slowly leaned in closer, his heart thudding in his chest. "I hate you."

Crowe's eyes closed as she tilted her head up to greet his. She could feel his breath on her lips, causing them to tingle. "I hate you more."

The sunlight burst through the window as their lips met, framing them in a brilliant glow. Tex tightened his grip on her wrist and pulled her closer, pressing his lips to hers. Crowe stood up on her tiptoes to deepen the kiss, her hair brushing against his forehead lightly.

Three unsaid words were silently spoken then. A deep, long kept secret was reviled, along with well hidden feelings that had been bottled away for to long. But neither cared about secrets or embarrassing emotions anymore. All that mattered was that they had each other. They had finally discovered the truth, and the deep affection they had hidden from each other for so long was reveled at last.

* * *

AN: I hope you liked it! Review and tell me what you thought please! Oh... and let me know if you think i should do a trillogy! 


	10. Oramis brawl

**Authors Note: This chapter is kind of off track from the main storyline, but it ties in with Bkippers story 'Party on Terra Lulio' If you havent read it yet it is a must, as is all of her work! Thanks for letting me use your characters, Bkipper!!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Storm Hawks or Rose, Yuro and Jay-Jay. They are Bkippers, and I am so greatful that she let me barrow them! **

**Parings: AerrowXPiper, JayXFinn, and other random parings... (you may be suprised!)

* * *

**

Cyclonis stared out over her terra, her slender hands clasped behind her back. She was standing in the tower room, the highest most point on Cyclonia. It was a large circular room with most of the sides open. Only the very back had a wall with a door leading down to her throne room. The dome shaped roof was supported by large stone pillars that were placed about nine feet apart around the perimeter of the room.

"You two have failed to accomplish what I have asked you to do again," Cyclonis said slowly, not turning from the window.

Dark Ace and Ravess exchanged at worried glance. "Master Cyclonis," Dark Ace said trying hard not to plead. "That girl and her team are tougher then they look. Especially that brother of hers-" he stopped as Cyclonis held up an elegant hand.

"But her brother is dead now so that problem is solved not, is it not?" She turned just her head so that they could see only half of her face. "You are both very lucky in the fact that you have not completely failed me. With the Sky Knight dead, not only is the girl at her weakest state, but so are the people protecting her. Her team will be very frail due to the loss of their precious leader."

"So we strike now then," Ravess said eagerly. She had just about had enough of this wild goose chase and wanted to wring that stupid little blond brat's neck herself.

"Not so fast Ravess," Cyclonis said coolly, glancing at the magenta haired archer. "We need to let it sink in first. Right now they are all in a state of shock. Then will come the denial, at least for the girl, and then grief will overtake them all. In a few days time, the Silver Falcons will be about as functional as Snipe is on a good day." She turned back and stared out at the red and black sky. "That's when we will strike."

* * *

Jay had wanted to spend the night at the hospital, but Wes wouldn't allow it. "You'll sleep better in a real bed, and you need all the rest you can get kiddo," he had said. "Besides, I'll be fine. The doctors said that there wasn't much damage other then the scar and that even that was healing nicely. I should be out of here in a couple days tops." 

Jay had protested but Wes had stood firm, countering every argument angle she threw at him. Finally she had pulled a Crowe and just sat down on the floor, flat out refusing to move. At a signal from Wes, Mikey had stepped in and thrown Jay over his shoulder and taken her out of the hospital. He had brought her, yelling and arguing, all the way back to the Osprey; ignoring the weird looks they got from passerby's.

She didn't stop ranting until he set her down outside the door to the bridge. "There," Mikey said blocking the hallway. "Now you can't run off."

Jay put on a mock appalled look. "You think I would just run off? I would never do such a thing." She said with the utmost innocence.

Mikey just grinned and ruffled her hair, his eyes laughing. "Sure you wouldn't," he said sarcastically.

Jay pouted and smoothed her hair back into place. "You know me to well, Mikey," she huffed.

"Well, we are pretty much family," he replied pushing the door open. "I mean are team is so tight…"

"So true," Jay said reaching up and patting him on the shoulder. "And I wouldn't have our team any other way." Then she turned and walked onto the bridge. "Hey Crowe, Tex… did you miss us?" she asked the two sitting across from each other on the couch.

"Oh, hey." Crowe smiled up at them from the book she was reading. Jay noticed that she was unusually flushed and her smile was slightly shy.

Mikey walked up to Tex and pulled out one of his headphones. The pilot looked up, a fake board look on his face. "What? Did you say something?" He swiveled his head to look at Jay, his spiky hair unusually disheveled and out of place.

Jay and Mikey exchanged a look, then grinned. "So…" Jay said casually, running a finger along the back of the couch before leaning on it. "Anything happen while we were gone?"

"Nope," Crowe replied simply, going back to her book. Tex just shook his head in time to his music.

"So emergency calls, no break-ins, no… make out sessions?"

Tex and Crowe froze, both turning bright red. "No…nope," Crowe stuttered, looking up sharply at Jay, but her eyes said _'how did you know?!' _Jay simply grinned and reached over the back of the couch. Grabbing the top of the book, she flipped it over and handed it back to Crowe.

"It might make more sense if you read it right side up," she smirked.

"What 'cha listening to buddy?" Mikey asked grabbing Tex's CD player and opening it. "Oh look, Jay! One of my favorites!" He laughed as he showed her the empty CD player.

"Hey!" Tex cried, jumping to his feet and snatching the CD player back. "We were not making out! We... we just got in a fight over a cookie… that's all!"

Jay raised an eyebrow at Mikey. "So there was a cookie involved, nice."

"No… Well yes," Tex spun around to face her, getting more flustered by the second. "Crowe stole my cookie and I had to get it back so-"

"It was not _your_ cookie!" Crowe cut him off, also getting to her feet and placing her hands on her hips.

"It was too!" Tex glared at her.

"Well your name wasn't on it, now was it?" Crowe challenged.

"Well neither was yours!" he shot back.

"So it was up for grabs, and I grabbed it."

"But I had called it!"

"But you didn't grab it."

Tex growled and extended his hands, his fingers twitching with the urge to choke her. Then he swiftly turned on his heel and stalked out the door, slamming it behind him. Mikey winked at Jay and followed his friend out, hoping to get something more out of him.

Crowe grinned and plopped back onto the couch, casually putting her hands behind her head. "It's good to be me," she sighed.

"So…" Jay said slyly. She put her hand on the back of the couch and vaulted over it, landing next to Crowe with a soft poof. "What _really_ happened while we were gone?"

Crowe blushed and turned her head away. "Nothing… we fought over a cookie, that's all. That's nothing new."

Jay watched her friend blush and smiled. Suddenly, something on Crows neck caught her eye. "Crowe! What in heavens name is on your neck?!"

Crowe looked at her in shock, and pulled the neck of her shirt up. "Nothing!"

Jay leaned over and swiftly grabbed her friends arm, pulling down Crowe's collar with her other hand. She gasped and grinned. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked, staring at the small red mark.

Crowe blushed a shade deeper, and pushed Jay's hand away. "Don't tell anybody!"

"I wont, but only if you tell me what happened."

Crowe sighed in defeat. "Fine… it started when…"

* * *

A few days later, the Silver Falcons were lounging around on the bridge of the Osprey. It was a lazy day for them, since they had not herd anything from the Storm Hawks and there was currently no Cyclonian activity. Crowe and Tex were facing off on the Wii, a typical lazy day activity for them. As usual, Crowe was kicking Tex's butt. 

"You really need to work on you combat fighting, Tex," Crowe grinned, ducking her character to avoid Tex's punch.

Tex gritted his teeth and pressed a combination of buttons on the remote, then punched again. "Ha!" he cried as he used a special move to knock Crowe's character to the ground.

A small frown crossed Crowe's face and she snapped her wrist, releasing one end of the nun-chucks. It twisted around in the air and smacked Tex in the back of the head.

"Ow!" Tex cried, glaring at her and rubbing his head.

"Oops… it slipped," she said with the utmost innocence.

Tex clenched his jaw, but believed her and went back to the game. The special move he had just used had given him major points, and the time on the fight was running out. If he could just get in one more solid hit he would win for once.

Crowe noticed this and flicked her wrist. Tex's punch went wide as the nun-chuck hit him in the head again, and Crowe's avatar landed a solid punch in Tex's avatars midriff; ending the game.

"Well would you look at that," Crowe said leaning up against the back of the couch. "I won again."

"Surprise, surprise," Wes muttered from his seat, not bothering to glance up from his book. Mikey sniggered from the table where he was working on fixing an old radio. So far he had got it working, but could only get a country station and he was tempted to throw it across the room just to see what happens.

Tex threw down the remotes and whorled on Crowe. "You cheated!"

"No I didn't," she replied crossing her arms and grinning.

"Yes you did! You hit me… twice!"

"Well your big head was in the way, and the remote was slippery," she replied, coolly examining her finger nails. Tex growled and lunged at her, but Crowe simple step sided and gave his back a slight push. The rust haired teen flipped over the back on the couch, landing on the floor with a thud and a groan.

"I'll get you back, you watch," he growled, slowly getting to his feet.

"Oh I'm so scared," Crowe responded sarcastically.

Tex was about to lunge at her, but stopped when the door to the bridge banged open.

"Tex," Jay said breathlessly. She had run all the way up the three flights of stairs from where she had been reading outside. "We need to go to Terra Oramis!"

Wes looked up at his little sister. "Why?" he asked.

"Because of this." She hurried over behind his chair and handed him the book she had been reading. Leaning over his shoulder, she flipped to a certain page and pointed to a diamond like crystal. The rest of the team merged around them, Tex making sure that Mikey was between him and Crowe. "It's a duplicate crystal," Jay explained. "It is a rare crystal that is able to take on the shape and color of any other crystal that it is touched to, but it cant take on another crystals power. They are mainly found on the black market, or on Terra Oramis, and are used by dealers to trick people into buying what they think is a powerful crystal, but is actually a dud."

"Yah, I've herd of them…" Crowe said nodding her head. "But why do you need one so bad?"

Jay wasn't expecting this question. Her hand went to her neck and she fingered the stone that hung there; something she often did when she was hiding something. "Uh… it's one I don't have and I've herd that it's good to experiment with."

Wes looked his sister squarely in the eye, but for once she could not hold his gaze. This confirmed Wes's suspicion that Jay was hiding something. He frowned, but didn't question her yet. If she was hiding something from the whole team, he trusted her to have a good reason. "Alright," he decided. "Let's go."

Tex nodded to his leader and swiftly moved to the controls. In a matter of seconds, the Osprey had risen into the air and was wising off in the direction of Terra Oramis.

* * *

The Silver Falcons looked around at the dank streets of Terra Orimis's only city. "Watch your step," Tex warned. "I used to live here. It's a pretty dangerous place." 

Wes took a step closer to Jay, his protective instincts causing his senses to become more alert. He looked around at his team. "Alright, let's find this duplicate crystal so we can get out of here." The nodded and set off down the street. Tex led the way, followed by Jay and Crowe. Wes and Mikey, the two oldest, brought up the rear.

A half hour later, they had finished searching the 'better' part of town, and were heading for the outskirts. "We better find that crystal soon," Tex muttered to Wes and Mikey. "This town is way too shady for my liking."

"I agree," Wes said, not taking his eyes off the girls who were a little ways ahead and giggling about something. Crowe suddenly lifted her head up and gazed down the street, then whispered something to Jay. The blond also gazed down the street for a second, and then nodded to Crowe. Together they took off running down the street, heading for an alleyway.

Wes watched them, surprised that they would just take off. "What are they-?" he was cut off as a faint cry was herd echoing down the street.

"I think that's why!" Mikey said. The three boys took off after Crowe and Jay, hoping to help.

* * *

"Yuro! Jay-Jay! Get back here!" Rosette called after her two little brothers. She brushed back her long, brown hair as she and Heron rounded the corner the boys had dashed around moments before. 

"What do you mean you saw a baby alligator?" Jay-Jay turned to his older brother.

"Got you there, didn't I?" Yuro laughed back.

"Boys, please… not so loud!" Rose shushed them. Looking around wearily she said, "We have no idea where we are now. Come on, let's go back." Just then Heron let out a low growl. Rose spun around and came face to face with a large, burly man with a devilish smile on his face.

"Well, well, well… what have we here, boys?" He held up his hand, and motioned for someone to come forward. Suddenly, Rose, Jay-Jay, and Yuro were surrounded by a good twenty or so gang members, all of them dressed in black leather. Rose pushed her brothers behind her protectively, her eyes darting around for a way out.

"You don't scar us!" Jay-Jay cried, trying to be bold and stepping in front of Rose.

One of the gang members let out a laugh and grabbed Jay-Jay by the back of the shirt. "What do you think boys… wouldn't he make an excellent chew toy for my sky shark?" The rest of the gang let out an evil laugh.

"No!" Rose cried. "Please, let him go! We didn't do anything to you! Please…" She felt a wave of fear wash over her as she watched her brother struggle against the mans vice like grip. Heron let out a sharp bark and leapt at the man, his teeth bared.

"Oi!" the man cried stepping back. Another of the gang members swiftly pulled something from his pocked at threw it a Heron. The silver paralyze crystal hit the dog squarely between the ears, and he fell to the ground, unmoving other then the rise and fall of his chest.

"Heron!" Rose cried. She was about to go to her beloved pet, but several of the gang members surrounded him, cutting her off. She instinctively pulled Yuro closer. "Please, just lets us go," she pleaded. "We don't want to cause any trouble. Please… please just let my brother go! He didn't mean any harm!" Her voice was on the verge of cracking with panic. "I…I don't want to have to hurt anybody!"

"Aw… is big sister getting scared?" Yet another of the men teased. He reached out and grabbed Rose by her hair, yanking her back. She let out a cry and the man just laughed. "What do you say girly? How bout we go for a little ride, and I'll show you what pain really is." He yanked her hair again, harder this time. The crystal in her wrist went ice cold, and her eyes flashed with terror.

Yuro started to pound on the man's arm. "Let go of my sister! Let go you stupid bully!"

The man just shoved him away. "Shove off you stupid kid, or I'll hurt your sister right here and now."

Suddenly there was yell like a banshee from behind them, and the man released her.

* * *

Crowe let out a yell and landed on the man's shoulders. "Hey Jay!" she cried, covering the man's eyes. "First you hit 'em high…" 

Jay flipped forward and landed in front of the man. "Then you hit 'em low!" she finished, grinning. The blond ducked down and lashed out with her leg, catching him behind the knees.

The man tumbled to the ground and Crowe leapt off. "Right on!" The silver haired girl cried.

At a signal from his leader, the goon holding onto Jay-Jay slipped away from the group and ran towards the far side of the ally. He didn't get far as Mikey stepped out in front of him. "I don't think so," the Silver Falcon said, grabbing the back of the guy's shirt. Spinning him around, Mikey faced him back in the direction of the fight. Tex appeared in front of him and punched him in the jaw with surprising strength. The man dropped Jay-Jay and crumpled to the ground with a moan.

Jay-Jay, who had been sobbing, was quickly scooped up by Tex. "Let me go!" the nine year old cried. "I don't wana get hurt!"

"Hold on kid. You got it all wrong." Tex said, nodding at Mikey who went off to beat up some of the other gang members. "Were the good guys. Were here to help you." He grinned down at Jay-Jay, who slowly nodded back.

Rose looked up sharply as she herd Jay-Jay cry out. Seeing Tex running off with him, she cried out and raced after him. She cut him off and desperately tried to grab Jay-Jay away from him. "No! Please, don't take him! Take me! Let him go! Please!" She fell to her knees, still begging with Tex.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tex said, stepping back in surprise. "I'm not-"

"Yah Rose… what the hell are you talking about?" Jay-Jay asked matter-of-factly. Rose looked up at him in surprise, and looked about to say something when a shout rang out, causing everyone to freeze.

"ENOUGH!" The leader on the gang cried. He whipped out a gun and pointed it at Yuro, who was frozen in front of a huge pile of boxes. "No body moves, or the boy dies!" he screamed, clearly crazed due to the fact that things were not going his way.

Wes, who was nearest to Yuro, cast a glance at his sister, who was next to and slightly behind the man with the gun. Jay nodded and moved ever so slightly into a better position. Then she began to speak to the man.

"Hey, hold up there buddy," she said soothingly. The man whipped his head around to look at her, keeping the gun trained on Yuro. "Now let's just calm down and talk this out. We don't want anybody to get hurt, now do we? So let's just put down the gun…" As she spoke, Wes began to inch his way towards Yuro. The boy let out a little squeak of fear when he saw Wes, and shrank away.

The gunmen herd this and twisted his head away from Jay. He spotted Wes and his eyes narrowed. "Fine! The kid dies!" he screamed.

"NO!" Rose screamed, reaching out with one hand as if to grab the bullet out of the air.

Jay's foot shot into the air and nailed the man's wrist just as he fired. At the same time, Wes leapt forward and landed right behind Yuro. He grabbed the boy around the waist bent over, shielding him from the gunfire.

The man cried out in rage and the shot went wild, hitting the pile of boxes behind Wes and Yuro. The boxes all fell to the ground with a defining crash, blocking the two boys from view.

"Yuro!" Rose sobbed, running forward.

"Wes!" Jay cried at the same time. "No!" She whorled on the man with the gun. "You!" she screeched. Her eyes gave a sudden flash and her hands start to glow.

"You killed him!" Rose screamed. She turned, the crystal in her arm glowing brightly. Her eyes flashed with such powerful anger that the gang leader actually felt fear of what he had just done. Her hands shot out and the puddles around the man began to tremble. "You will pay!" Rose yelled, absolutely seething.

Jay's hand shot out at the same time, and the gun in the man's hand exploded in blue light. One of the other gang members reached out and grabbed Jay's ponytail, yanking her away from his leader.

The water from the puddles twisted up into two streams and swirled around the gang leader. They engulfed him in water, and then began to freeze from his feet up. His eyes widened as the ice moved up and over his face, freezing him in place.

Jay's hand shot back and she blasted the man away from her, feeling his fingers slide through her hair. The rest of the men scattered, their eyes wide as they cast uneasy glances at the girls with unearthly power.

Jay spun back around, and gave a huge sigh of relief as Wes emerged from behind the boxes, a very scared looking Yuro in his arms. "Wes, thank god…!" she breathed, the blue hue around her arms fading away.

Rose looked up and spotted them. She let out a cry of relief and rushed forward. "Oh, thank god you're safe!" she cried. Wes sent Yuro down and she hugged her brother tightly.

"Rose!" Jay-Jay cried as Tex walked over and set him down. He ran into his crying sisters arms and she hugged them both.

Wes squatted down beside them. "Are you all alright?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern.

Rose looked up at him, the immense relief in her eyes overwhelming. "Thank you so much. You saved him…" she choked off, to happy to say anything else.

"Hey, no problem," he said softly, his eyes meeting hers. "It's the least we could do."

Rose tried to study his eyes but found that she couldn't quite understand them. There was only one person who could read Wes's gaze… his sister. In that brief moment she had seen something in his eyes though. Something like… understanding. Like he too knew the deep love she had that only siblings could have.

"Here," Wes said, standing and holding out his hand for her. She took it, and her heart gave a small flutter at his touch. His hands were larger then hers and rough, but his touch was gentle and comforting.

"Hey, a little help over here!" Crowe cut in. She was standing over Jay, who was kneeling next to Heron.

"Oh my gosh, Heron!" Rose cried, allowing Wes to pull her to her feet, then rushing over to the dog.

"They used a paralyze crystal," Jay said glancing up at Rose. "It's not deadly, but the affect won't wear off anytime soon unless you have some sort of healing crystal."

Rose rushed over to Heron, a determined look on her face. She was real gentle with the dog, laying its big furry head in her lap. She took the healing stone off his collar and laid it on him. Then she began moving her arms back and forth in the air above Heron, as if she was moving water in little waves. The air chilled, and everyone's breath became foggy in front of them. This was a side effect of her healing abilities, since she has the power over not just water outside, but the body's water when healing. A minute later, Heron let out a bark, and jumped to his feet, licking Rose's face happily. His wagging tail hit Tex in the face, causing him to reel back sputtering and spitting out dog hair. Crowe burst out laughing, and Mikey suppressed a giggle, pulling Tex to his feet.

Jay-Jay walked over to Tex and tugged on his pants leg. The older teen looked down curiously. "Thank you for saving me from the fat guy." Jay-Jay said, shuffling his feet.

Tex grinned and messed up his hair. "No problem, kid."

"Yes, thank you, uh…" Rose looked around, realizing that she did not know who they were.

Crowe stepped forward. "Silver Falcons," she said proudly. "I'm Crowe. That's Mikey, Tex, Wes, and his sister Jay." She pointed to each person in turn and Rose shook their hands, holding onto Wes's a second longer then necessary.

"I'm Rosette, but you can call me Rose. This is Yuro and Jay-Jay."

"You have the same name as me," Jay- Jay said looking up at Jay.

"Isn't that funny," she said squatting down to talk to him face to face.

"So what were you doing in this part of town?" Mikey asked Rose as Jay-Jay and Jay laughed about something.

"We were getting supplies…" Rose said, deciding not to tell them about looking for information about her parents. She looked down at Yuro who was tugging at her sleeve.

"Can we go before those scary people come back?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly.

Crowe laughed and put a fist up in the air. "Something tells me that they wont be coming back soon, that is unless they want another but kicking."

"But Yuro is right," Wes said. "We should probably get back to a better part of town."

"What better part of town?" Tex muttered, crossing his arms.

"We still need to find that crystal that Jay needs," Crowe put in. Jay looked up and nodded in agreement.

"Then Jay, Crowe, and Mikey go on ahead. Tex and I will escort Rose and her brothers back-"

"Oh that really won't be necessary," Rose cut him off. "We've troubled you guys enough." Wes started to object, but Rose cut him off. "We'll be fine. We are looking for something also, anyways." She said gently but firmly. Wes nodded and backed down. Jay and Crowe exchanged a look. It was not like Wes to be persuaded that fast, except by Jay.

"We better get going," Mikey said, giving Heron a final pat on the head. The rest of the team nodded and headed out one side of the ally, Jay waiting for Wes.

"Come find us if you ever need anything," he said to Rose, giving Yuro one last nod. "And take care of yourself, and your brothers." He said the last part with a glance at Jay. She smiled and squeezed his arm.

Rose nodded, and ushered the boys in the other direction. She cast one last look behind her and called "Thanks again!" Her eyes met with Wes's for a second, and her heart gave a small jump. His eyes seemed to say: "Never, ever stop fighting for what you love." Rose squeezed her brother's close, Jay-Jay's hand gripping the side of her shirt for comfort. "And don't stop searching for what you're looking for." Rose smiled, and whistled for Heron, who had bounded forward. The dog decided to walk alongside Yuro, who was patting the loyal dog on his big black and tan head. She would never stop looking for her parents, two lost souls who had vanished without a trace... But somehow, Rose knew that her time with the Silver Falcons was not over. It would resume again- eventually.

* * *

"Well that was interesting," Crowe remarked as Wes and Jay caught up with them. 

Wes just nodded, lost in thought. He had seen something in Rose… something he could relate to. He could feel the undying love she had for her brothers; the same he had for Jay. He had also seen in her eyes, loss. He didn't know how, but he knew that she was looking for something. He just wished he could have told her in words not to give up.

He looked around at his team, the people he loved most, and couldn't help but smile. All of them had been through so much. Crowe didn't know anything about where she came from or her childhood, Tex had spent his whole life moving from terra to terra, and Mikey's parents had split apart and left him to fend for himself. He marveled for a minute at how lucky they all were to have each other.

"Oh, Jay, is this what you were looking for?" Mikey asked, bringing Wes back to the present. He reached into his pocket and pulling out a clear crystal. It shimmered with many different colors, even in the dim light.

"Yes! That is exactly what I needed!" Jay exclaimed. She took the crystal gently and examined it, her face decorated with different colored spots as it sparkled. "Where did you find it?"

"It fell out of one of those goons' pockets," he answered shrugging. "So I just grabbed it."

"Thanks Mikey," she said, giving him a quick hug. "You just saved us a whole lot of trouble!"

"Does that mean we can go back now?" Tex said hopefully.

"Aww… is big, bad Tex getting scared?" Crowe mocked in a baby voice.

Tex was about to retort, but Wes put a restraining hand in his shoulder. "This isn't the best place to have one of your fights," he said firmly. Glancing all around them, he said "Lest just go before we meet up with any more of the locals."

* * *

AN: REVIEW PLEASE!!! AND READ BKIPPER'S STORIES! THEY ARE SOME OF THE BEST OUT THERE! 


	11. Party?

**Authors Note: Longets chapter so far! Woo-Hoo! Review please!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Storm Hawks, and I think you know what I own by now. **

**Parings: AerrowXPiper, FinnXJay, and other random parings... you know the drill!**

**Also, I got pictures that are close to what they look like (Wes, Jay, Crowe, Tex, and Mikey) on my profile. Just hit the link!!! Then tell me what you think!

* * *

**"Hey guys, guess what!" Piper said excitedly as she ran into the hanger. Junko's head popped up from the other side of his skimmer and he looked at her quizzically. Aerrow also looked up from where he had Finn pinned to the wall. Obviously, he was winning combat practice.

"What's up, Piper?" he asked, not bothering to release Finn.

"What- oof- is it?" Finn asked, peeved that he was losing again. He tensed his muscles and prepared to shove back. Aerrow noticed this and released him right as he heaved back. The blonde tumbled backwards, falling over his skimmer with a crash. "Ow!" he cried. "Dude… so not cool!"

Piper laughed then remembered what she had come in for. "Oh! Aries just radioed in. He said that they, as in the Olympians, were going to a club tonight for a night off and invited us and a bunch of other teams to go also!" she said in a rush not bothering to contain her excitement. She started to do a little dance, just to show how giddy she was.

"Ug," Finn said from his back on the floor. "Who wants to get all dressed up in a tux?"

"Its semi-formal Finn," Piper retorted, stopping and placing her hands on her hips. "Not black tie."

"Even worse," Finn muttered, slowly getting to his feet and rubbing the back of his head. "Now we have to dress fancy without trying to look like we dressed fancy."

"I thought you of all people would want to go, but you don't have to," Piper said softly dropping her hands, disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm.

Aerrow walked over to the crestfallen girl and put his hand on her shoulder, meeting her gaze. "Hey, I want to go." He stepped back and made an exaggerated bow. "Will you allow me the honor of being your escort tonight, my lady?" he asked, looking up at her through his lashes.

Piper giggled and held out a hand. "It would be a pleasure, kind sir," she teased. He grinned and slowly brought her hand up to his lips, kissing it gently. Then he straightened up pulled her close by her waist, kissing her full on the lips.

"Ew! Get a room!" Finn shouted, covering his eyes.

Piper smiled and looked at him over Aerrow's shoulder. "Maybe we should go somewhere less annoying," she said.

"Good idea," he grinned back, casting a quick glance at the sharpshooter, who scowled back. "He's just jealous because Jay's not here anyways."

"Hey! That's not true!" Finn said stepping forward. Apparently he forgot about the skimmer and tripped over it again, falling on his face with his legs up in the air. Piper, Aerrow, and Junko burst out laughing. Then Aerrow wrapped one arm around Piper's waist and led her towards the door.

Piper cast one last glance over her shoulder. "Speaking of Jay, she'll get very lonely tonight if you don't come, Finn. Who knows… she could even get snatched up by some other guy."

At this Finn leapt to his feet. "Alright… I'm in!" He smoothed down his hair and pointed his fingers at Piper. "What do you think? Looks good, huh?" As he spoke his hair promptly shot back up into its usual untidy spikiness. Finn looked up and frowned. "Great… has anyone seen my hair gel?"

At that moment Radarr dashed past his feet, clutching a bottle of gel almost as big as he was close to his blue body. "RADARR! I NEED THAT TO LOOK GOOD!" Finn cried, taking off after the little blue creature.

* * *

That evening, the Storm Hawks strolled down the main drag on Terra Neon. Piper led the way, the fabric of her black skirt swishing just above her knees. Aerrow couldn't help but smile at his girlfriend. She had spent the whole afternoon getting ready and he had to admit, she looked beautiful. As this ran through his mind she turned around, and he smiled wider. Her eyes danced in the light, set off by the shimmering gold halter top she was wearing. She met his gaze and winked then motioned with her hand. 

"Hurry up slow pokes!" she laughed. Aerrow and Junko jogged up next to her, Aerrow putting an arm around her shoulder.

"You look stunning. You know that, right?" he said in her ear.

She grinned up at him. "Yep… I do now." She reached up and fussed with his red locks, fixing them to perfection. "There, now you do also."

"Aww… you guys are so cute together!" Junko cooed.

Finn rolled his eyes and paused in front of a window, fixing his hair (again) and re adjusting his dress shirt. "Finn my man… you look el-fabulous as usual," he grinned, giving his reflection his signature hand gesture. "Jay won't be able to keep her hands off you."

Stork glanced at him as he stalked past. Yes, they had somehow convinced Stork to come, but the merb was not happy about it. "Stupid romance virus is going to be the end of us all. Finn is talking to himself… Piper keeps getting distracted and giving me the wrong directions…." He threw his hands up in the air as he walked to the clubs doors. "And don't even get me started on Aerrow…" The merbs ranting faded as he disappeared into the club.

Finn rolled his eyes and turned back to the window. After one last hair check, he turned and strolled to the doors. Opining them, he was almost knocked off his feet as a wave of light and sound hit him. "I forgot how crazy these clubs could get," he mumbled, glancing around for his friends. He spotted Aerrow and Piper first, talking to none other then Tex. Finn grinned. That meant the Silver Falcons were already here.

He casually strolled over and slid up next to Tex. Glancing around slyly, he asked, "Hey, any of you seen a hot blond chick with a ponytail?" He grinned and the others grinned back, but they wernt looking at Finn.

The sharpshooter jumped as a firm hand landed on his shoulder. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about my sister, now would you?"

Finn spun around and looked, horror struck, up into Wes's face. "N…no! Of course not… I… was talking about that other girl…"

"So your cheating on my sister," Wes said his eyes narrowing.

"No! I… well… what I meant was…" Finn turned bright red at the inability to explain himself. He could hear the other laughing behind him and spun around. "Come on guys, back me up here!"

"Sorry pal," Tex said holding up his hands. "You crossed Wes; you're on your own."

Finn turned back around to face the older teen, only to find him smirking. "I'm just giving you a hard time," Wes said. "I know you wouldn't cheat on my sister, for you would have to answer to me." He smiled wider. "Now, about that first little comment… I'll pretend I didn't hear it this time." He glanced around the crowded room. "The girls should be here somewhere though. They were a little behind us in getting ready so they said they would just meet us here."

"That's one thing I don't get about girls," Tex muttered. "They take forever to get ready."

"Well sometimes beauty takes time," Piper defended. "And some dresses can be a pain to get on."

Tex snorted. "I swear the day I see Crowe in a dress is the day the world ends."

"Finn!" A girl's voice suddenly echoed from behind them. Finn stumbled forward as Jay leapt on his back. "Long time no see," she said, her arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders.

"Too long," he replied, looking into her eyes. She grinned and kissed him softly on the cheek. He blushed and looked about to say something when an outburst from Tex stopped him.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Jay slid off Finn's and stood next to him smiling broadly. Finn followed her gaze curiously, and his eyes fell on a group of people. He immediately recognized Mikey and Junko, but didn't know the girl they were talking to.

Wait, he did know her. Finn did a double take and realized that it was Crowe. Except it wasn't the Crowe he knew. This girl was decked out in a short, v-neck black dress that hugged her small form as if it was made especially for her. She turned, and the deep, red trim shimmered, setting off both her eyes and hair at the same time.

"What was that you were saying about the apocalypse?" Wes asked Tex, nudging his friend in the side.

Mikey said something to her and she grinned slyly. Then she drifted over to the group, heading straight for Tex. "Try and keep your jaw off the floor," she said pushing his dropped chin up. "It would be a real shame if it hit you in the head while we were dancing."

He just gaped at her, speechless. She was just so… hot, it didn't seem possible.

Crowe turned to the others and shrugged. "What's his deal?" Without waiting for an answer she grabbed his hand and dragged him out to the dance floor.

Finn smirked and turned to Jay. "Care to dance?" he asked, holding out his hand.

She took it and smiled. "If you think you can keep up."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Only if you have the guts to take me on."

"Oh, I can. You're on!"

They laughed and he pulled her arm, swinging her around and onto the dance floor. The found a spot next to Crowe and Tex, the pilot still not fully recovered from his initial shock. Pretty soon Aerrow and Piper joined them. By the end of the song each of the others had found a dance partner, even Stork.

* * *

A couple hours later Finn pulled Jay to the side of the dance floor. Together they leaned up against the wall laughing and gasping. Finn moved in front of her, resting his arm on the wall above her head and leaning on it. "Is it just me, or is it really hot in here?" he asked, leaning his head in close to hers. 

"It's just you!" Crowe called as she danced by with a boy unknown to either blond. Jay glanced around and spotted Tex stalking towards the silver haired girl, a small frown on his face. He reached the dancing couple and tapped the boy on the shoulder. The kid, shorter then Tex by a good two inches frowned but moved away, allowing Tex to dance with Crowe.

Jay smiled and shook her head, then turned back to Finn. "It is pretty warm in here. Let's go outside," she said panting slightly.

Finn smiled and moved to the side, sweeping his arm in the direction of the door. "After you," he bowed.

Jay laughed and started off, looking back at him. "You are so corny, you know that right?"

He grinned and caught up with her. "Yep," he replied simply. He casually wrapped one arm around her waist, drawing her closer to his side. On impulse, he turned his head and scanned the crowded behind them. His blue eyes almost instantly locked with a pair of green ones on the other side of the room.

Finn grinned at Wes, and gave the older teen a mock salute before exiting the club. For once, he didn't really care what Wes thought. If Jay's brother had an issue with them leaving… well, that was his problem.

Jay took a step forward and did a little spin, sighing as the cool night air swirled around her. The skirt of her dark blue halter dress came to a rest just above her knees as she gazed up into the dark sky. She sighed again and a soft breeze blew a few lose strands of hair across her cheek. Finn couldn't help a wide smile as he watched her from behind, realizing just how lucky he was to have met her.

"Earth to Finn," she said looking over her shoulder.

"Oh…huh?" He snapped back to reality, realizing he had missed what she had just said.

"I said it's a shame you can't see the stars with all the lights around," she rolled her eyes at him. "But it seems you're lost in space so maybe you can."

"Nope… all I see is you," Finn said, grinning. He reached out and took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "Do you want to someplace we can though?"

"So you can take a hint," Jay smirked.

He laughed, setting of down the street with Jay by his side. "Of course I can… don't underestimate me Silver Falcon."

Jay laughed. "Too late Storm Hawk," she said, giving him a playful look.

A few minuets of light talk followed as they walked back down the brightly lit street. They rounded a corner and the airships came into view. Jay strolled ahead of him, heading for the Osprey.

"Where are you going?" he said, jogging to catch up with her.

"To change. The only place on this terra we are going to see stars is outside of the city, and you need a skimmer to get there. I am not riding a skimmer in a dress."

Finn grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks. "Aw… come on, please?" he begged jokingly.

Jay shook her head smiling. "No… not even in your dreams." With that she turned and entered the Osprey.

Finn watched her until he was sure she was safely inside. He smiled and shook his head, walking next-door to the Condor. "We'll have to see about that."

He walked quickly up to his room, and closed the door, changing out of his jeans and dress shirt and back into his uniform in a matter on minuets. He paused at the mirror, doing a quick hair check. (What else?) Finally he turned to go, but paused as his eyes landed on the crossbow resting on his bed. Something tugged the back of his brain and he had the sudden urge to take it with him. _'But why would I take it?'_ he shrugged the feeling off. _'It's not like I'll need it here.'_ Then, pushing any second thoughts away, he turned and made his way back down to the hanger.

He found Jay waiting for him there, he back to him as she leaned up against her skimmer. She had changed back into her jeans and black tank top, but also wore something Finn hadn't seen before. Pulled over her shoulders was a blue short sleeve crop jacket with a dark silver lining. He was staring at the back, which proudly showed the Silver Falcons emblem. Finn marveled at how well it fit her, hugging her frame like it was made just for her.

She turned then, and followed his gaze. "Oh, you like?" she asked, doing a little spin.

"Yah… I've never seen it before. Where did you get it?" he asked, walking over to her.

"When our team formed we each got our favorite piece of clothing fitted with our emblem. Those clothes became our uniform, so to speak." She smiled at him.

"Then why haven't I seen it on you before?" he asked, remembering seeing the insignia on the others clothes. Wes's shirt, Crowe's sleeve, Mikey's back, and Tex's jacket.

The smile faded from her face. "After the crash I put it away, thinking I could never where it again…." She trailed off. "But thanks to you guys our team is back together again," she said, the smile returning. "Thank you…"

Finn held up a hand to stop her. "Hey, it's the least we could do. Besides, you've thanked us enough. Now, I have an idea of where we can go. I'll tell you how to get there," he said, plopping down on the back of her skimmer.

"And I was thinking you could just take me there yourself," she said, pushing him forward and sitting down behind him.

Finn looked back at her surprised. "But I thought you didn't let anybody but the people you trust most drive it?"

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I don't," she whispered in his ear. Finn's heart gave a little flutter and he smiled coyly. Then he started the engine, which quickly settled into a low steady hum.

"Ready?" he asked, letting the bike roll smoothly down the ramp and onto the street. He maneuvered it so that it was facing in the direction that led out of town.

"Whenever you are," she said, giving his waist a gentle squeeze.

He glanced back at her, making sure she really was ready. Then he kicked up the kickstand and gunned the throttle wide open. The slipstream leapt forward instantly, the front wheel rising off the ground as the motor gave a roar.

"Finn!" Jay cried in delight and surprise. She tightened her grip on his waist, pulling her body closer to his as she glanced at the ground rising up behind her.

Finn, who had not been expecting so much power, backed off on the throttle until the front wheel touched down. As soon as it had grabbed the pavement, Finn floored the thrusters again, and let out a "Woo-Hoo!" as it shot off down the road. Jay's bike was ultra sensitive, but Finn quickly got used to its handling, swerving from side to side.

Jay laughed out of pure joy from behind him. "Just don't scratch it!" she called over the wind. Finn just laughed in reply. Together they sped off into the night, disappearing down the street in a matter of minuets.

* * *

Wes and the others rounded the corner just as Jay shrieked. The sixteen year old's head snapped up, instantly thinking that his sister was in some sort of danger. When he saw what was really happening though, he let out a small sigh of relief. That relief, however, was shortly replaced by anger. 

"Where the hell is he taking her at 11:30 at night?" he said, spinning on his heel and marching towards the Osprey.

"Probably somewhere special," Piper said, winking at Crowe. The two girls giggled, trying to think of where a special place for Finn might be. Aerrow, Tex, and Mikey however, had all seen the look on Wes's face, and exchanged a glance as they followed the girls into the Osprey's hanger.

"Well not tonight," Wes muttered, peeved that they had just taken off without telling anyone. Especially since no one had seen any sign of Cyclonis since the Terra Thundaris episode and no one knew what she was up to.

"Not much you can do now," Stork muttered, crossing his arms. "Their already long gone."

"Oh yah? Watch me," Wes growled, stalking towards his skimmer.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… hold up their pal," Crowe said firmly stepping between Wes and his ride. "Don't go all crazy just because they want some alone time."

Wes looked down at her, then up at the rest of his team for support. Tex stepped up next to Crowe and looked at his leader. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually have to go with Crowe on this one," he said. "Let them cut loose and enjoy each others company while they still can."

"Tex has a point," Piper spoke up. "Our teams won't be together forever, and eventually they will have to say goodbye… at least for a while."

"Besides," Mikey added. "She needs a break. She's been so uptight worrying about you lately that you could almost see the physical toll it's taking on her. Let her go have some fun."

Wes sighed and ran a hand through his sandy hair. He knew that they all had good points and were all right. Still, he had an uneasy feeling about the whole thing. "I don't know… I mean with Cyclonis…" He trailed off, unable to put his fears into words.

Aerrow stepped in then and put a hand on the other Sky Knights shoulder. "If you're worried about her safety, I have no doubt in my mind that Finn will protect her with his life," he said friendly but firmly. "He may seem like a dork-"

Stork snorted and Aerrow cast him a warning glance. "But Finn has feelings for Jay that he has never had for anyone else. She releases another person inside him that we didn't even know existed. That is something that no one else can do." He smiled sand gave the older teen's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "And even if Cyclonis has something planed, she has no idea where we are."

Wes nodded, but kept the small frown on his face. "Okay, your right. They just better be back before 1:00," he said, then turned and brushed past Mikey. "I'm going to change," he muttered before disappearing through the doors leading to the stairs.

* * *

"Who would have known that this is what Terra Neon looked like before they developed it all," Finn said from his place on the skimmer. They had left the city far behind them and were now whizzing through a sparse forest, an occasional clearing flashing by between the trees. 

Jay just sighed in reply glad to just calm down and let her worries drift away for a while. She snuggled closer to his back, laying her head on his shoulder. "So where are we going?" she asked finally.

He turned his head so he could gaze at her face, keeping the bike going down the straight road. She looked back at him through a few whispy strands of blond hair. He had the erg to brush them out of her face, but forced himself to keep his hands on the controls. "You'll see," he replied.

A few minuets of silence followed his words, in which Jay couldn't resist brushing her lips against the side of his jaw. Her lips left a tingling sensation on his face, and he had to fight the erg to turn around and kiss her back. Not knowing what to say, he blushed and scanned the area, looking for something familiar.

"The place I'm taking you is a place I found when I was on vacation here as a kid," he said a few minuets later, slowing the skimmer and pulling off onto a hidden trail between two trees. "My parents said I should keep it a secret, you know? Not tell anyone, not even them, where it was. You could call it my happy place…"

"Then why are you showing me?" Jay asked as he eased the bike to a stop in a small clearing.

"Because," he said cutting the engine. He turned to her, their faces incredibly close. "What is the point of having a secret if I can't even share it with the person I hold nearest to my heart?" He reached up and gently ran a finger down the side of her face, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Then he grinned and dismounted the skimmer, wanting to save some of the magic.

Jay sat stunned for a second, her eyes big at how intense his voice had been. She reached up and traced the invisible line he had drawn on her cheek. Then she smiled and swung her leg over the front of the bike, hurrying to catch up with Finn.

He paused at a screen of leaves and turned to her then gave her a deep bow and pulled the leaves aside, motioning for her to go through. The fair haired girl stepped through, almost hesitantly, and her hand flew to her mouth.

Before her lay a picture of pristine, untouched beauty. She gazed around, her eyes going wide at the pureness of it all. She stood on a low ridge covered in whispering grass, each blade performing its own little dance in the slight breeze. A lone tree stood in the center of it, its branches extending as if in welcome, beckoning her further in. She took a few steps more forward, gazing upon the breathtaking view from the ridge.

A shimmering lake of the most amazing shade of blue she had ever seen lay at the bottom of the ridge. The moonlight wavered on its glassy surface, disturbed only by the ripples of tiny fireflies dancing across it. The air around her was sweet and clean, filled with the light sent of grass and dew. The reeds on the edge of the lake murmured in a gentle, late summer night's breeze.

"Do like it?" Finn asked a bit nervously as he came up behind her.

"Oh, Finn," she sighed, her eyes dancing in the moonlight. "It's the most beautiful place ever…"

Finn smiled and stepped up beside her. "Good, because I feel the same way now too," he said pulling her close to him.

She tore her eyes away from the scene to look up at him. "Now?" she asked.

He smiled down at her, a whole different Finn from who the Storm Hawks lived with. "Now that you're here it is." Jay just smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, her hand resting lightly on his shirt.

Relaxing in his arms, she became aware of a soft, steady pulsing beneath her palm. She cast her eyes downward and traced the area lightly with her fingers, feeling his heart beat faster under his muscled chest. It gave her a feeling of comfort, assuring her that he was really there for her.

But it also brought on a small feeling of dread. What would she do if that heart ever stopped beating? And what if it stopped because of her? She knew that Cyclonis was after her crystal, and would not exercise restraint in getting what she wanted. She would kill to get it, she already almost had, and she would go for the people nearest to Jay first.

"Finn," she said hesitantly. "Aren't you afraid that something might happen to you if Cyclonis comes after me?"

Finn looked surprised at the question. "No… I'm more afraid something might happen to you. I don't want to see you hurt, Jay. I know Cyclonis is after your crystal-"

"And she will kill you to get it," Jay cut him off. She shook her head and looked down. "Sometimes I really wish I hadn't found it. If only I had listened to Mom and not wondered off..."

"Hey," Finn said softly, placing a hand on her cheek. "What happened happened. What matters now is that you haven't let it overwhelm you with power, like some people would. That crystal is part of you," he raised her face close to his, and searched her eyes. "And frankly I wouldn't have it any other way."

Jay felt a wave of emotions swell up inside her at these words. She raised her hand and placed it on his that was on her face. Closing her eyes, she pressed her cheek against his palm. "Thank you, Finn…."

Suddenly, Finn didn't want to talk anymore. He slid his hand up behind her head, and pulled her face up, twisting his fingers in her ponytail. Her hand slid down his arm, over his shoulder, and down onto his waist, resting there lightly.

Finn pressed his lips into hers, loving the way they were so soft and sweet against his, but they sparked something deep inside him. Something that overtook him whenever she was around, causing him to become someone new. It was almost as if she unlocked his inner potential and made him a whole different, better person.

Jay melted into his arms, snaking her arms up over his back and around his shoulders. She closed her eyes, loving the fire of his lips against her own. She loved the way she fit into his embrace, like she was born to be there. She loved the way he was such a dork sometimes, but then would always adapt to the situation at hand. She loved the sly little grin he wore when he was out firing his crossbow, as if he was a little boy doing the thing he loved most. She loved how he wasn't afraid to have fun, but at the same time tried his hardest to protect her. But most of all, she loved him just for being him.

They finally had to pull apart for air, but stayed close, their foreheads leaning against each other. Finn smiled, feeling her own rapid breath on his lips. "Wow," he breathed softly.

"Care to make it a double wow?" she asked, her eyes dancing as she leaned in closer.

But Finn didn't need to be asked. He immediately started to pull her to him again, but suddenly paused, his lips inches from hers.

"What is it?" Jay whispered, not daring to move. Finn didn't respond, and cast a quick glance at the lake. It looked just the same, moonlight dancing in the large ripples along the surface.

After another moment of listing, he shrugged. "I just though I herd something, but I was wrong." Without waiting for a reply, he closed the distance between them, being slightly more daring in the force behind the kiss. She grabbed his wrist, squeezing it between her slender fingers. This time when the needed to breathe their lips lingered together, the bond between them so strong that neither could find the power to break it.

He pulled her head in closer, but she took a small step back. He tried again, but she moved again, never breaking lip contact. This game continued, and they didn't realize that they were heading right for the ridge.

Suddenly, the magical moment was broken as Jay's foot slipped over the edge. She let out a cry of surprise as she jolted from the embrace and tumbled backwards.

Finn was surprised when she slipped out of his arms, but it only took him a split second realized that she was falling. His arms shot out, but he only managed to grab one of her wrists. Feeling himself being pulled forward, he braced his feet and grabbed her other arm, heaving them both backwards.

They stumbled back until Finn's heel caught on a protruding tree root and he tripped. He fell on his back, involuntarily letting go of Jay. She tripped on the same root, and fell down next to him, twisting so she landed on her back as well.

"Are you okay?" Finn asked after the initial shock wore off.

"Yah… thanks." Jay nodded and rolled over, draping her arm over his chest. "Looks like I owe you again Storm Hawk," she smiled.

"If you don't watch out your going to owe me more then you can pay back," he smirked.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" She suddenly lunged forward, smashing her lips into his. His eyes opened in surprise, then fluttered closed in sheer bliss. She pulled away slowly, leaving him breathing rapidly. "How about that?"

"It's a start," he replied slyly. She made a face at him and rolled over to look up at the sky, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You really can see the stars a lot better out here," she commented. He nodded and glanced around them, trying to shake the feeling that they were being watched. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he went back to staring up at the stars. The lake was as still as ever, a purple hue hovering just above its surface. The trees stood like shadows against the dark sky, only the top most branches fluttering in a breeze.

Jay sighed and yawned, turning back to Finn. The sharpshooter propped himself up on his elbows and scooted back a couple feet, leaning his back up against the tree. Jay followed, laying her head back against his shoulder, her hand taking its place over his heart.

"What time do you think it is?" she murmured.

"No idea," he replied hugging her close. "Does it matter?"

Jay smiled and nuzzled his neck with her nose, welcoming the warmth of his embrace. "No…not anymore." Her body relaxed into a sleepy state, but she didn't know why. She hadn't felt tiered a minuet ago, but at the same time her body was dropping off. "I…love…you," she managed to say just before falling to sleep.

Finn smiled and kissed her hair. "I love you too, Jay." As he spoke, he felt his own body grow tiered and a feeling of uneasiness crept over him. Something wasn't right. He knew it, but couldn't figure out what it was. His mind was starting to fog up, and he closed his eyes, willing himself not to go to sleep. That's when he herd the footsteps next to him.

"Ah, teen love, so sweet… so innocent… yet still so easy to destroy."

The voice was one of a kind, and Finn recognized it instantly. He forced his eyes open and managed to focus on the figure before him. "Ravess," he hissed. "You have no business here," he attempted to say. It came out slurred though, his tongue feeling abnormally heavy.

An evil laugh echoed from his other side. Finn desperately tried to turn his head, but the muscles in his neck wouldn't cooperate.

"Feeling a little sleepy are we?" Dark Ace grinned, stepping into his line of vision. "It's amazing how a simple paralyze crystal dropped in water can do that to you."

"Enough talk Ace," Ravess barked. "Lets just get what we came for and go before were affected also."

Finn tightened his arms around Jay, digging his fingers into her clothes as best he could. He knew what they wanted, and he was not going to let them get it. "You won't get away with this," he hissed. They were not going to get away with his girl.

Dark Ace came up and towered over him. Finn suddenly felt incredibly helpless as the fog in his brain threatened to overtake him. The talon bent down next to him, meeting Finn's bleary eyes with his own blood red stare. "Don't worry, I'll take really good care of her," he whispered in the boys ear. Then he straightened and grabbed Jay around the waist, ripping her limp form from Finn's grasp and tossing her roughly over his shoulder.

"No…" Finn mumbled. He mustered all the strength he could and threw himself forward. Reaching out, he succeeded in grabbing Dark Ace's leg, almost bringing the talon to the ground.

"Why you annoying little…" Dark Ace never finished his sentence as he lashed out with his foot, catching the teen in the ribs. Finn managed a small cry as he was kicked back, coming to a rest a few feet away. He moaned softly in the grass one of his ribs badly bruised at the least.

He felt his limbs start to grow even heavier and his mind started to fade. He gave Dark Ace one last pleading look. "Take me…" he whispered. Dark Ace just laughed and turned, signaling to Ravess. Finn's eyes closed then, his mind fading into blackness. The last thing he felt was a tear sliding down his cheek.

* * *

Wes woke with a start. The book he had been reading when he fell asleep slid off his lap and onto the floor with a soft thud. Dazed, he picked it up and gazed around the bridge at his sleeping teammates. 

Mikey was snoring softly in his favorite recliner, his hands resting on his stomach. Crowe and Tex were snuggled together on the couch. Tex lay on his back, a small smirk on his face at whatever was happening in his dream. Crowe lay face up on top of him, her small form wrapped snuggly in his arms. They both shifted slightly, their breathing momentarily changing before falling back in sync.

Wes stood and stretched a strand of his blond hair falling into his face. He pushed it back and crossed the bridge, checking the digital clock next to the T.V as he passed. 2:00 am. They were late.

A small frown crossed Wes's face and he turned to the window. He knew that they might actually be back and Jay might be in her room, but he wondered why she didn't at least let him know. Suddenly, he started. The sun was just peeking over the tops of the buildings of Terra Neon. Wes did a double take at the clock and drew a sharp breath. It wasn't 2:00… it was 5:00.

Worry and some anger started to bubble up in the teen's stomach. "You had better be in your room, Jay," he said in a low voice to no one in particular.

Mikey stirred as Wes brushed past him on the way to the door. "Mornin' Wes, Jay back yet?" he asked, picking up on the look in his friends eyes almost instantly.

"Not that I know of, and that's what worries me," he answered, pausing at the door.

Tex, awoken by the voices, popped one eye open. "Finn hasn't brought her back yet?"

Crowe also woke then. "What going on with Finn?" She looked down at Tex, who was grinning up at her. She smirked and ruffled his hair. "You just can't stay away from me, can you."

A small frown crossed Tex's face, but then his expression softened. "You got me there," he sighed, holding her on top of him by her waist.

Wes ignored the two's flirting and slammed the door behind him. Mikey got out of his chair and glanced at the clock. He whistled and looked at the other two. "Wes is gonna kick Finn's butt if Jay's not in her room."

The slam of another door and the sound of footsteps down the hanger verified this. "Something tells me that she's not," Crowe muttered.

"Well we better go find 'em," Tex said, a bit of disappointment in his voice as he released Crowe. She nodded and grudgingly got of him, following Mikey down to the bridge. They found Wes there talking to Aerrow.

"I know Finn can be a little irresponsible sometimes, but he wouldn't be gone this long unless something was wrong," the red head defended his teammate. Piper and Junko nodded in agreement and Radarr chirped, rapidly nodding his head. Stork just snorted, not sure if that was entirely true.

Wes nodded his mouth in a thin line. "Okay, I'll take your word for it. Jay is smarter then this anyways, and knows not to be gone this long without telling someone. I think something is wrong." As he said this, an all too familiar feeling jolted in the base of his stomach. "Scratch that… something is definitely wrong." He glanced over his shoulder at Mikey as he walked briskly towards his skimmer. "Those trackers you installed in our skimmers…?"

"Completely operational," Mikey responded. He jogged over to a work bench and picked up a small metal box. Then he quickly crossed back to Wes, handing it to him. Turning it on by a small switch on the side, he explained. "This is the GPS unit. It will only show the whole terra right now but they can't have gone that far. I haven't had a chance to widen the range. Anyways, we each have a different colored tracker. You are green, I'm black, Crowe is purple, Tex is red, and Jay is blue."

As he spoke the screen flashed on and showed an aerial view of the terra. Then is targeted an area with a small box, and zoned in on the purple, green, red, and black dots, all clustered together. "To target a certain person, just press the button with the corresponding color," he finished pointing to a row of buttons next to the screen.

Wes pressed the blue one and the GPS system emitted a series of beeps, the zoomed out. The group of dots became tiny as the area visible on the screen widened. A small pulsing blue dot appeared on the upper part of the screen. Wes glanced up at the people around him, a determined look on his face. "Let's go bring them back."


	12. Rescue Failure

**AN: I know what you're all going to say… "There was way to much Jay in this chapter and not enough Storm Hawks!" I know, I know… but it's the only way the story will pan out. Please don't kill me!**

Disclaimer: You know the drill... i dont own bla bla bla...

Parings: I think you all know by now...

* * *

Wes roared down the busy street on his skimmer, not even glancing at the faces of the people flashing by. The sun was shining down, making the early morning seem eerily peaceful and cheery. It might have been this way, had his sister not been missing. 

Aerrow pulled up parallel with him and glanced at the other Sky Knight. He frowned and looked away, slightly disturbed by Wes's expression. He didn't know what to think of the situation at this point. I could just be that Finn and Jay lost had track of time. He knew Wes thought Jay wouldn't let that happen, but she was still a teenager… and in love at that. Aerrow shook his head slightly and gazed at the road ahead of them.

The others followed close behind, each lost in their own thoughts. Even the two pilots had come, Tex on his own skimmer and Stork on his four wheeler.

A few minuets later they broke out onto the same open road that Jay and Finn had traveled earlier. Wes glanced at the GPS, which had been secured on his skimmer, and pushed his bike faster. They were getting close to the flashing blue dot, and Wes's anxiety was ramping up. What would they find? Or would they find anything at all? _'Stop'_ he told himself firmly. _'Her skimmer is there, so they have to be there… they just have to be…'_

A few minuets later he stopped his skimmer and glanced at the GPS again. Then he looked up and around, not seeing anything but trees. Aerrow pulled up next to him. "What's up?" he said over his skimmer.

"The sky," Crowe replied pulling up behind them.

"Shut up, Crowe."

"You shut up dorkweed."

"Well… they should be right here somewhere," Wes said ignoring the rival lovers bickering. "Actually, they should be right over there." He pointed in between two trees. Piper followed his finger, and noticed a small trail hidden under the leaves. She looked at Crowe, who nodded back. The silver haired teen saw it also.

"Let's try down there," Piper suggested, pointing to the trail.

Aerrow looked up and gazed at it for a second, then nodded. "That's probably where they went, let's go." He spun his skimmer around and tore into the trees, Wes and the others close behind. A second later, the redhead slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt right next to Jay's skimmer. "Whoa, to close," he said, his bike just inches away from hers.

"Good thing you didn't hit it," Crowe smirked. "You would be a dead man."

"She is a little protective of that thing," Tex muttered. "I mean how is it not going to get scratched in battle?"

"You know Jay," Crowe replied matter-of-factly. "She tries to keep her things as nice as possible. I didn't say that it didn't have scratches, but it doesn't have any unnecessary ones. Trust me… we would never hear the end of it if it did."

Wes ignored the comments about his sister and knelt down next to her ride, looking to see if the two blonds had left any clue as to where they had gone. They hadn't. "Crowe, Tex, Mikey… fan out and search the area," Wes ordered, still examining the bike in vain.

"Storm Hawks, lets do the same," Aerrow commanded. They nodded and spread out into the trees. Soon echoes of "Jay?" and "Finn?" could be herd all around the area.

"Jay?"

"Finn… where are you?"

"Finn… you better not be hiding!"

"Finn? Jay?"

"Dorkweed?"

"What?"

"Ha! You actually responded!"

"Shut up, Crowe!"

"Come on you guys… this isn't funny!"

After about a half hour of turning up nothing, everyone was starting to get discouraged.

Piper sighed and rounded a tree involuntarily bumping into Aerrow. "Oh… sorry, Aerrow," she said. "Any luck?"

"No… still nothing," he sighed running a hand through his hair. "I feel like were walking in circles."

"We probably are," Piper replied looking around her. "Lets try going this way then." She pointed to a wall of leaves, through which she caught a glimpse of shimmering water. Aerrow just nodded and pulled them aside. Together they stepped out onto a grassy ridge, a lone tree in the center.

"Oh my gosh! It's… its beautiful!" Piper gasped, gazing out over the landscape.

"It's amazing," Aerrow replied in awe, his eyes taking it all in. He took a step forward, wanting to be part of the amazing scenery. Then they fell on a figure lying in the grass not to far from the tree. His eyes widened and he rushed forward.

Piper felt him leave her side and looked at him in surprise. "Where are you-" then she too rushed forward as she saw what he was running towards. "Finn!" she cried.

"Piper," Aerrow ordered, kneeling down next to his friend. "Go get the others." Piper skidded to a halt and nodded, then spun around and ran back through the bushes. Aerrow herd her calling the others names, and then turned back to the sharpshooter. "Finn?" he said loudly, shaking the blond's shoulders. "Come on Finn…wake up!" he slapped his friends face, gently at first then with more force. "This really is not the best time to be asleep!"

The rest of the teens soon gathered around him, Wes scanning the area slowly, hoping to find his sister. Aerrow looked up at them. "He's asleep if you can believe it. Not unconscious, but actually asleep. I've tried to wake him up, but he just won't respond."

As he spoke the wingman stirred slightly and murmured something. "No… leave her alone… take me…"

Wes was on his knees instantly. "Leave who alone? Take you where?" he gripped the boys collar, panic rising in his voice. "Finn… what happened to my sister?!"

But Finn had fallen silent, his eyes closed and his body limp. The only thing that showed he was alive was the rise and fall of his chest, and even that was slightly irregular, like he was hurt. Wes sighed and gently laid the boy back, staring at the ground with stressed eyes.

All this time Crowe had been staring at the purple haze that hovered like a cloud over the lake. She slowly made her way to the ridges edge, gazing over it with her hands on her hips. Piper joined her a minute later.

"I don't know much about lakes, but I'm assuming that that's not right," the Storm Hawk said. Yet as she spoke something tugged at the back of her mind. She had the strange feeling that she had read about this happing in one of her crystal books. She just couldn't place it.

Crowe just nodded slowly. Her arms dropped from her hips and her eyes began to droop. She suddenly felt very heavy and she couldn't think straight anymore. "Piper…" she mumbled softly. "I… I don't feel so hot." Her body began to sway with the sudden lack of strength it took to support her.

"Crowe… what's wrong?" Piper asked, reaching out towards the other girl. Suddenly Crowe slumped into Piper, her form becoming a deadweight.

"What the…" Piper exclaimed, holding Crowe up. Tex looked up from where he was standing over Finn, and was almost instantly by her side.

"What happened?" he asked, bending down in front of Crowe and snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"I… I don't know," Piper said, staggering under the awkwardness of holding the other girl. Tex saw this and straightened up, picking up Crowe's limp form in his own arms.

"Well I can't see why she's so tiered," Tex said. "She slept fine last night. Trust me… I know." He gazed down worriedly at her relaxed face. "It's like she was hit with a sleeping gas or something."

Suddenly it all became clear. Piper's eyes widened and she whipped her head around to look at the haze. "If dropped in water, a paralyze crystal will dissolve and emit a slow working but powerful sleeping gas!" Her voice rose and she recited the footnote from one of her crystal books. "It's a sleeping gas!" she cried, pushing Tex away from the lake.

"What are you talking about?" Tex shouted, stumbling forward. The others looked up curiously, wondering what all the yelling was about.

Piper ran towards them, Tex at her heels. "The purple mist is actually a sleeping gas," she said pointing behind her. "It is released by a paralyze crystal when they dissolve. That's why Crowe and Finn are asleep!"

Aerrow stood up quickly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Piper cried exasperated.

"Then how come where not asleep yet?" Mikey asked.

"Because Crowe's the smallest, so it took affect on her first, and Finn was probably exposed to it for a very long time. Were all next unless we get out of here." She replied urgently.

Without another word, Aerrow grabbed Piper's hand and started dragging her back towards where they had left the skimmers. The others followed quickly, Junko picking up Finn's limp form and carrying him on his shoulder. No one noticed the sleeping sharpshooter give a slight wince as his ribs pressed against Junko's shoulder.

Wes was the last one, and paused as he reached the wall of foliage. He turned and desperately scanned the landscape one last time for his little sister, but saw nothing. The last shred of hope that he had been clinging to quickly drained out of him, and he hung his head. _'This is all my fault' _he thought bitterly. _'I should have stopped them when I had the chance…I should have gone after them… but I didn't… now she's gone…'_ he turned his head away, tears forming in his eyes.

Suddenly a soft wind blew across the lake, and Wes could have sworn he herd a whisper in the trees. _'Don't you dare give up on me, brother…' _

Wes's head snapped up and he looked around him. "Jay?" he whispered. The wind blew again, and he thought he felt his sister's soft finger brush against his upper arm. He looked up at the sky, his eyes suddenly filled with determination. _'I won't give up on you, kiddo, I promise… I will find you and bring you home safe… hold on Jay, were on our way.'

* * *

_Jay slowly opened one of her eyes. She winced and closed it again as she was blinded by a bright florescent light. Letting out a small groan, she lifted her head and turned it away from the light, resting her cheek on a cold metal floor. She couldn't process where she was yet, as her mind was still spinning. The only thing she knew for sure was that she wasn't at the lake with Finn.

Finn… where was he?! She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes tightly, trying to remember what happened. _'I was looking at the stars… then Finn moved back and I followed… that's when I fell asleep… I think…' _She thought harder, but the only other thing she could remember was saying I love you.

She lay on the floor for who knows how long, her strength slowly returning. She must have fallen asleep again because when she opened her eyes the next time the room was darker, as if the sun had moved past the window.

Jay became aware of footsteps echoing outside, and then a door opining behind her. She remained completely still, faking unconsciousness. "Is she awake?" a voice sounded behind her.

"I don't know," another higher voice answered. "She looks pretty dead to me." Their was a couple taps on the floor and Jay had to swallow a groan as the toe of a boot dug into her side, and flipped her onto her back.

"Well I hope she's not… for the sake of our butts. Let's just take her to the bridge. You know how pissy Cyclonis can get when she is kept waiting."

Jay almost stopped breathing at this remark. Cyclonis? So she was on a cyclonian cruiser. Not good. She had to get out of here, and fast. _'Think!'_ she ordered herself. _'Crowe showed you that schematic of one of these things… the hanger was on the, uh, middle level! And the prisoner cells on the…um… think! Bridge level! So I just have to make sure Finn's not here also then 'barrow' a skimmer and get out of here…' _She hoped this plan would work. Most of her plans she played by ear, and most came out fine. There was that slim chance though…

No… she wouldn't think about that. She had to focus on the situation at hand. Still faking sleeping, she listened intently to the two, what she assumed to be, cyclonian guards.

"Here… take her other arm." One ordered.

Jay herd this and smiled to herself in her head. Perfect… they were playing right into her hands, as most talons do.

"Oof… for a cute girl she sure is heavy," the on who sounded like he was on helium said.

"That or your just weak," the other one mumbled, pulling Jay to her feet.

Jay suddenly opened her eyes. "I agree with him," she said wrenching her arms away. She lunged to the side, but quickly realized that she had miscalculated the size of the cell and soon found herself wedged in a corner. Before she could turn around, the larger of the two guards grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms together behind her back. He forced her around to face the other, scrawnier, guard.

"So… you thought you could just slip away that easily?" he mocked, his voice the lower of the two. "You thought your little trick would work?"

"That one didn't," Jay smirked, looking up at him darkly through a few strands of hair. "But this one might."

Suddenly she twisted her arms in such a way that she was able to grasp her captor's wrists. Quickly securing her hold, she kicked up with one of her feet, catching the smaller guard in the chin and knocking him across the room. Then she ducked and twisted around, standing back up so that the large guard's arms were crossed in front of him. She kneed him hard in a very sensitive spot, and he bent over with a high pitched squeak. She took a small step back and punched him square in the nose." He stumbled backwards and she quickly followed through with an uppercut, knocking him unconscious.

Jay slowly got out of her fighting stance, lowering her hands to her sides. She looked down at them curiously, turning them to examine them. _'I wonder why I couldn't use my power,_' she thought. _There is still so much I don't know about this thing. Now… I need to find Finn, if he's here, and get off this blasted ship.' _She turned for the door, but froze as a new set of voices echoed down the hall.

"What the hell was all that noise?"

"I don't know, but I think it came from the cell they tossed that hot chick in. I say we go check her out."

"Don't you mean check it out?"

"No"

"You pervert"

"Shut up you guys. Come on."

Jay's eyes darted around the cell, looking for an escape route. Of course the only one she could find was the door. _'Just great.' _Jay had to think fast, as the footsteps were getting closer. She slipped behind the door so that when it opened they wouldn't see her immediately. She pressed herself into the wall and waited.

The footsteps got louder and louder until they stopped outside her door. The handle twisted and Jay held her breath as the door swung open. How it had gotten closed in the first place she did not know. But right now she didn't care. She shrank back into the shadow it cast as three talons walked in.

"What the…" One said squatting down next to the scrawny talon. "Out cold," he stated, slapping him hard in the face.

"This one also," another said, nudging the larger out talon with his toe. Then he scratched his head. "But what I don't get is how she got out…"

"She didn't," the third, and largest, talon growled. He was obviously the leader as he stood, feet spread, in the center of the room. "She's still here…" his eyes darted from side to side. Suddenly he spun around to face the shadow behind the door. "Got 'cha baby," he said, but he was too late.

A split second before, Jay pulled her move. She leapt up and grabbed the top of the door, swiftly hauling herself over. She flipped to the floor on the other side and darted into the hall, slamming the door behind her. "See yah, boys," she said to herself, ignoring the cries of protest behind her.

"Now," she murmured casting a glance in both directions down the hall. There was really nothing there but other cells and a door at each end. Jay sighed and closed her eyes, trying to recall the schematic. _'If I remember right… the stairs to the hanger is in the stern of the ship, away from the bridge…'_ She knew that Finn wasn't in any of the other cells, for they were all open and empty. She hoped beyond hope that he wasn't on the ship at all.

Sighing deeply, she turned to the right and crept down the hall towards the door. She was pretty sure that it lead to the hanger, she would just have to watch out for guards. As she reached it, it slid open in front of her.

Jay froze.

"My, my… you are a sly one aren't you, Jay," Master Cyclonis said coolly, stepping into the hallway.

Jay narrowed her eyes and also moved back. She felt anger towards the dark master for making her team and the Storm Hawks go through so much. She put her hands behind her, feeling the energy start to build within them. "What do you want with me?" she hissed, buying time.

"Its not you that I want, its what you have," Cyclonis replied simply. Her eyes flicked to the crystal around Jay's neck and a greedy light came into them.

Jay saw this as her chance, and she took it. Her eyes gave a flash and she raised her right arm. A blue mass of energy blossomed from her fingers, shooting straight towards Cyclonis.

The dark master drew her staff in a blink of an eye and held it out in front of her, the blast parting to either side of her and widening the door frame considerably. "Now, now… we shall have none of that," Cyclonis scolded almost playfully. She twisted her staff around and shot Jay with a blast from an orange crystal. It hit the teen in the chest, forcing her back into the wall.

The blast was not very strong, but it was forceful enough to knock the wind out of Jay. She pushed herself off the wall and lunged at Cyclonis, but was grabbed out of the air as two strong arms pulled her back from behind.

"Well, well, well… look who's finally awake," Dark Ace laughed, binding her arms tightly to her sides. "To bad it was too early. I'm sorry Jay but I'm afraid that we will have to put you back under," he sneered.

"Yes," Master Cyclonis agreed. "We can't have you destroying my ship anymore, now can we?" She reached into her cloak and slowly drew out a deep maroon crystal, savoring the reaction on Jay's face.

Jay recognized the Vespa crystal instantly, and her eyes widened. "No… you wouldn't," she said, trying to keep her voice strong.

"Oh yes… we would," Dark Ace whispered in her ear. Cyclonis just grinned and raised the crystal slowly, emphasizing the moment.

"Good night Jay," she said in a sing song voice.

Before Jay could react, a wave of pain washed over her. She let out a cry as her whole body felt like it was on fire. Then everything seemed to twist and freeze, while still burning at the same time. A second later she blacked out, her body going completely limp in Dark Ace's arms.

* * *

Wes gasped and clutched his stomach. His knees started to buckle and he reached out, grabbing one of the pipes protruding from the wall of the Condor for support. He let out a soft moan and closed his eyes, his hair falling into his face. Then, just as soon as it had come, the pain disappeared. 

"Wes…" Mikey asked in concern, hearing his friends moan. He crossed the Condor's bridge to where the other teen and been pacing a moment before. Placing a hand on his leaders shoulder, he asked "What is it?"

"It's… its Jay," Wes replied, slowly straightening up. "I feel like I've just been stabbed with a knife…" he trailed off and gazed out the window, his eyes glazed with worry.

Piper cast a worried glance up at Aerrow, who was standing beside her. "What if were too late? What if…" She couldn't finish the horrid thought.

Aerrow placed a hand on her shoulder and bent down so that he looked into her eyes. "Were not," he replied shaking his head firmly. "Were not giving up. You said it yourself… Jay is strong and smart. She can take care of herself until we can get to her."

Piper sighed. "Let's just hope Finn knows where she is," she said looking over at the blond they had been trying to wake for the past hour. Crowe was bending over him, Tex hovering over her.

"Have you tried slapping him?" Tex asked.

Crowe gave him a look. "No… I haven't tried the most obvious method in the book…" She rolled her eyes. "Seriously Tex…"

"Well sorry!" Tex shouted, the tension getting to both of them. "I was just trying to help! Geeze… your an ice princess!"

Crowe suddenly snapped her fingers. "That's it! Tex! You're a genius!" she cried, springing to her feet and giving the pilot a quick hug. Then she spun around and dashed out the door.

Tex just stood there, his eyes wide with surprise. He scratched the back of his head and looked at Stork questionably. The merb just shrugged.

A few seconds later Crowe returned, clutching something shiny in one of her hands. She hurried over to the chair that Finn was slumped in and pushed his head forward. With her free hand, she pulled back the collar of his shirt and dropped the ice down his back.

There was a moment of complete silence, in which everyone on the Condor stared at the sharpshooter. Suddenly, his blue eyes opened wide and he shot out of the chair. "COLD!" he cried, arching his back in a vain attempt to get away from the freezing crystals. He glared over his shoulder at Crowe and Tex, who were giving each other a high five. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" he exclaimed, shaking his shirt to get the remaining ice out. It fell to the floor, quickly forming a small puddle on the floor.

"We needed to wake you up fast," Aerrow said bringing the seriousness back to the situation.

"Wait..." Finn interrupted. Memories of what happened earlier flooded back into his mind and he looked around the room quickly. "Oh no," he gasped, realizing Jay wasn't there. The sharp intake of breath caused him to grimace and his hand went to his side as a look of pain crossed his face.

"Finn… you okay?" Piper asked, rising to her feet and reaching out towards her friend.

Finn nodded and looked around at them. "How long have I been out?"

"Too long," Wes answered shortly. He crossed the bridge and put his hands on Finn's shoulders. "Listen, Finn. I need to know… what the hell happened to Jay?" he asked quietly, panic rising in his voice.

Finn took a deep breath and winced, his diaphragm pressing painfully against his bruised rib. "It… it was Dark Ace and… and Ravess," he said, gritting his teeth in pain and anger.

Everyone looked at him, their worst fear confirmed. "Dam it," Wes said softly. His hand fell to his sides and balled into fists. "Damn it! When I find those bastards I swear their going to wish they had never touched her!" His voice rose and he glared at the floor, his eyes drilling holes in the metal.

Finn cringed. "I'm sorry…" he tried to apologize, his voice frantic. "I tried to stop them. I really did. But my body wouldn't listen. I tried to save her… please… you have to believe me!"

"We believe you, Finn," Aerrow said putting a hand on his friends shoulder. He looked up at Wes, who had calmed down. "What do you think?"

A moment of silence followed his words, then Wes spoke. "Were wasting time here," he said gruffly. "Were going to Cycloina, now. We'll infiltrate it and get her back." He sighed. "Then I might just take her home." He stressfully ran a hand through his sandy hair. "I can't bear to keep putting her through this."

The rest of his team looked at each other. They were all thinking the same thing. None of them wanted to see the team break up… they were the only family each of them had. But at the same time they hated to see their Sky Knight this way. They tried to fathom the extent of his worry, and found it impossible.

'_Jay wont let that happen though,'_ Crowe thought. _'She can, and will, convince Wes to keep the team together. She will… I'll make her.' _

"We need a plan first," Piper interjected. She thought for a second, and then said, "We'll pull the oldest trick in the book. One of us will sneak into Cyclonia while the others cause a distraction. That person will find Jay and get her out, and then we'll break for it."

"I'll do it," Finn said immediately.

"No," Wes said softly but with force. "I'll do it. She's my sister." He walked to the door and paused, one hand on the door frame.

"But-" Finn started to argue.

"No," Wes cut him off, turning his head but keeping his eyes trained on the floor. "You've done quite enough already." With that he turned and disappeared down the hallway.

Tex turned to Crowe as Mikey followed Wes down the hallway. "You're our strategist. You stay here and help Piper come up with a plan. Radio it to us when you've got it."

Crowe nodded. "We'll make it flawless."

Tex managed a small, forced smile. "I have no doubt that you will." He turned to go but hesitated. On a whim, he turned and gave Crowe a quick kiss on the forehead, then turned and jogged down the hall, his hurried footsteps fading to silence.

"Alright Stork," Aerrow said watching the Silver Falcon boys dash the short distance between ships through the window. "Lets get moving. Set course for Cyclonia." The merb nodded and started pulling levers, mumbling to him self as usual. "Piper, lets get going on that plan."

"In a second Aerrow," she said. The dark haired girl was kneeling down in front of Finn. The wingman had sank back into the chair and buried his face in his hands. "Come on, Finn. Let me see," she said placing a hand on his shoulder.

Finn looked up at her, his expression a mixture of pain, anger, and regret. Then he sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes. "I really screwed up. All I wanted to do was give her a good time… let her forget about all this for a while…" he trailed off and flinched.

Piper didn't know what to say. She gently pulled up the hem of his shirt, pushing it up his chest. "Oh, Finn! Who did this to you?!" she exclaimed. Aerrow's head whipped around and he moved over next to his friend. What he saw caused his expression to darken.

About where the blond teen's bottom left rib would be was a large, nasty looking black and blue bruise. The center was a deep, ugly looking purple, obviously made from a kick. Small beads of blood dotted the rim of the wound, some trickling down Finn's skin and leaving shining red trails.

"Who did this," Aerrow growled, his voice low and dripping with anger.

"Who do you think?" Finn muttered, looking away from his leader.

Aerrow's arm muscles tightened as he balled his hands into fists. "Dark Ace?" he asked slowly. Finn just nodded and Aerrow turned away, his jaw set. "He is going to pay for this."

Piper reached up and put a hand on Aerrow's arm, comforting him. "Junko?" she said turning to the wallop. "Could you please go get the first aid kit from the bathroom?" He nodded and exited through a door. "Crowe?"

"Over here," the silver haired girl said from the table. She had found Piper's charts and had already spread out the one of Cyclonia.

"Any ideas?" Piper asked rolling Finn's shirt up away from the wound and wiping away the blood with a tissue gently. The sharpshooter winced whenever she touched him and bit his lip against the pain. His rib underneath was throbbing, and he knew that he probably had a very small fracture.

Crowe traced her finger across the chart, the tapped it. "I think that will work," she mumbled then looked up at Piper. "Well, we could-"

She was cut off as the radio burst to life. "Sky Knights, this is Starling. If you can hear me, please report in…"

Junko walked back in as Aerrow moved over to the radio. The wallop set down the kit next to Piper and started handing her bandages to wrap around Finn's side. Voices almost immediately started to pour out of the speaker.

"Harrier of the Rex Guardians reporting"

"Jean, Rebel Ducks reporting"

"This is Meeko… we read ya loud and clear, mate"

"Xenon here… you rang?"

Aerrow herd the break in the voices and picked up the communicator. "Starling? It's Aerrow."

"Hey… registered teams only, kid," Harrier snapped. Obviously he was still peeved about the incident earlier. Crowe was about to snatch the radio out of Aerrow's hand and give Harrier a piece of her mind, but she was beat to it.

"Shut it, Harrier," Starling barked. "I believe I said Sky Knights. And I believe Aerrow is in fact a Sky Knight."

"In that case, Silver Falcons here also." Wes's voice echoed over the speaker.

"Hey… isn't that the team Jay's on?"

"I though she didn't have a team…"

"I herd that their ship blew up and she was the only one who survived…"

"We all survived," Wes said silencing the others. "And yes, Jay is my sister. This is her team." He kept the fact that she was kidnapped silent, not wanting the others ruining their plan.

"Now that we have that straightened out," Starling interrupted. "All squadrons are ordered to make tracks for Cyclonia. We have reports that Cyclonis is reading all her troops and could attack at any moment. Our goal is to head them off and keep the battle over Cyclonia, that way innocent terras won't be affected as much." There was a pause and then Starling's voice came back softer. "This is war. People will get hurt, so watch each others backs and protect each other. We need to put our differences aside and work together, as one. So who's with me?"

There was a chorus of cheers from the other squadrons, and the line went silent.

"Why is Cyclonis springing an attack now?" Junko asked.

"Because," Crowe sighed. "She has Jay."

"I don't see what that has to do with an attack."

Crowe put her hands down on the map in front of her, staring at it intently. "You remember how Wes said that Cyclonis's storm engine was operational; she just didn't have a crystal powerful enough?"

"Yah…" Junko said slowly piecing it together.

"Well now she does," Piper took over. "Jay's Azure Stone could wipe out whole terras at a time and all Cyclonis has to do is push a button."

"And it's all my fault," Finn muttered. He winced and looked down at his now bandaged side. He had to admit, Piper was a really good medic.

Crowe banged her fist on the table, causing Stork to jump. "Shut up, Finn," she ordered. Her eyes flashed as she glanced over her shoulder at him. "You are just like Wes, always blaming yourself. But that's not going to get us anywhere, now is it?" She motioned to Piper and turned back to the map. "Okay… let's re-think this out…"

* * *

Jay pulled her knees up closer to her chest, fighting against the chill that ran down her spine. She pressed her body further into the corner, the skin on her back jumping as it touched the cold metal of her cell. 

She had woken up in the darkness of a high security cyclonian dungeon cell. The only light came from a small rectangular window in the tightly sealed door. She knew it wasn't going to open. She had tried. Jay had thought about blasting the door open, but what would she do after that? She had absolutely no idea where she was or where to go.

She had been awake and alone for close to two hours now… or so she thought. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious in the cell, but it had been way to long for her comfort. She had told herself to stay calm and cool, but the novelty had soon worn off and she felt her heart sink. The girl was giving into hopelessness, letting her fear take over her.

Jay let out a deep sigh, which came out more of a sob, and buried her face in her knees. She had let her team down… she had let Atmos down… but worst of all, she had let the two most important people in her life down. "I'm… I'm so sorry Finn… I'm so sorry Wes…" she whispered.

She bit her lip and shivered. Her eyes filled with tears and she held back a choking sob. Would she ever see the two main men in her life again? Her bright eyed boyfriend and loving brother?

Suddenly, she herd footsteps coming down the hallway. On impulse, she shrank back into the shadows, but they went right past her door. A second later she herd muffled yelling and hurried footsteps.

"Oi! All ye' lazy blokes! Get 'yer sorry ass's up and prepare for battle!"

"But sir, what about the prisoner?"

"You leave 'er to me"

"But our orders were to-"

"Now you listen here boy, I got orders from Cyclonis 'erself. Disobeying me would be disobeying 'er. And you don't want that… savvy?"

"Y…yes sir!" The talon ran off. Jay didn't move. She barley dared to breath. Cyclonis must be planning something big… something involving her crystal.

Then she herd hurried footsteps coming back towards her cell door. She was suddenly very scared. Fear welled up inside her and she started to tremble.

The footsteps came to a stop right outside the door and she slowly stood, huddling in the corner nervously as the lock clicked.

The door swung in and a cyclonian guard stood framed in the light from the hallway. Jay's body started to tremble more violently and her eyes shone with fear. They stared at each other, his eyes hidden behind his goggles.

"Wh…where are you t… taking me?" she said, her voice wavering and high pitched.

The talon crossed the cell in one swift movement, coming close to her. She shrank away, her eyes wide. "I'm taking you home," he said softly. He pulled the helmet off and looked at her, his eyes filled with worry.

Jay flew into Wes's arms, securing hers around his shoulders tightly. "Oh Wes…" she sobbed. "I knew you would come… I just knew it…" She buried her face in his chest, to overcome with relief to scold him for putting himself in danger.

Wes held her tightly, burying his face in her hair in relief. "There was no way in hell that I was going to let you stay here."

Jay smiled into his shirt, blinking back tears. "That's why you're the best brother a girl could have."

Wes smiled and kissed her hair, but then it faded and his mind snapped back to the present situation. "Thanks, but we need to get out of here, now." He pulled away and secured his and around one of her wrists. Turning to take her out the door, he suddenly pulled up short.

A group of talons stood in the doorway, their staffs raised and glowing. Wes looked at them in surprise. Neither of them had herd them come up, and talons were known for being notoriously loud.

"What do you think you doing?" one of them barked. Jay almost immediately recognized him as one of the ones she had tricked on the cruiser.

Wes didn't answer as he stepped protectively in front of Jay. "Don't worry kiddo," he murmured to her. "We'll get out of this… I don't know how, but we will." But Jay herd the doubt in his voice. That's when she noticed that he was completely weaponless. He had sacrificed carrying his guns as to not arouse suspicion. She placed a hand on his back, feeling awful. He had come so far and taken so many risks to rescue her all to get caught. Now they were completely helpless.

Or were they?

Jay suddenly noticed that the base of her neck had grown warm. She reached up to touch her skin, but instead her fingers came in contact with the smooth surface of her necklace. Of course! The Azure stone! How could she have forgotten? It had gotten them into this mess, it had better be able to get them out.

Her confidence began to rapidly return, pushing the unwanted fear away completely. Without a word she stepped back and to the side of Wes. He didn't notice she had moved until a blue glow caught his eye. He swiveled his head to look at his sister, and his eyes widened.

The crystal around her neck was pulsing with light, which also swirled around her hands and wrists. She slowly raised her head; her eyes flashing from under a few lose strands of hair. "I would strongly suggest you _move_." As she said the last word her eyes gave a flash and her arm shot our in front of her. A blue streak of light ripped from her fingers and flew across the room, hitting the talons square in the chests. The flew backwards, the ones not KO'ed from the original blast knocked unconscious as they slammed into the opposite wall.

Wes watched, amazed, as her eyes returned to their normal state and the crystal around her neck came to a rest. The blue mist swirling around her arms faded and she grinned up at him. He smirked and ruffled her hair. "That's my girl…" Then he swiftly moved towards the door. "Come on… we don't have much time," he said in a low voice as he glanced up and down the hallway.

Jay nodded and followed him as he set off down the empty hallway at a swift jog. "What is going on?" she asked, keeping pace with him. "Where are all the guards?"

He glanced at her. "Cyclonis is springing an attack," he said tensely. "She's going all out." He slowed and peered cautiously around a corner, then grabbed her wrist and pulled her down a short flight of stairs and around another corner. "The council's goal is to get all able squadrons here and keep the battle over cyclonia." He finished as they passed a wide door with a deep, shadowy frame.

Jay's hand went to her neck and she looked down at her crystal. "And to think… this could have all been avoided had I not wondered off..."

Wes suddenly turned on his heel and pulled her back and into the doorway. Putting a hand over her mouth, he pulled her to his chest tightly and pressed them both back into the shadows. "Don't move," he breathed in her ear. She shrank back into his chest, and stood completely still, hardly daring to breath. His other arm came around her front protectively, shielding her from view almost completely.

A second later, footsteps echoed down the hallway and a group of talons dashed past them, disappearing up the stairs that the siblings had come down just moments before.

When their voices faded, Wes removed his hand from Jay's mouth and breathed a small sigh of relief. "That was to close," he murmured.

Jay turned her head to look at him. "How did you know they were coming? I didn't even hear them until they were right on top of us."

"Call it a sky knight's intuition," he replied peering around the doorframe. Jay nodded. She couldn't subdues the wave of pride that swelled up inside of her. Wes was so amazing in so many ways. He was brave, smart, and cunning as well as caring and good natured. Not to mention quite handsome. He was one of those who were perfectly cut out to be a sky knight. Just like Aerrow… just like her father.

Jay sighed and moved away from him, starting to step back into the hallway. But Wes stopped her with his arm. "Jay wait," he said putting his hands on her shoulders and turning her to face him. "Listen, you may feel like this is your fault, but you have to understand that its not. You cant blame yourself for this. And you cant blame that stone either."

"But all its seemed to do is bring misfortune to us. Plus I'm not cut out for holding onto such a huge responsibility," she protested.

"No... That's where you're wrong. I believe you were meant to find that crystal and are meant to unlock its power. Weather you want it or not, its part of you now. And you should be thankful that it fell into your hands and not Cyclonis's in the first place."

Jay shook her head and looked away. "I'm not so sure about that anymore. I've done a pretty crappy job of keeping it safe," she spat.

"Jay, look at me," Wes ordered. His eyes searched hers as he turned her head with his hand. "You are only fourteen. No one expects you to fend off every single power hungry bastard that comes after you. But even so, look at how many times you've given Cyclonis the slip. If you ask me you have done a damn good job so far." His voice softened and he hugged her. "Mom and Dad would be so proud of you… I know I am."

Jay smiled and her bottom lip trembled. She hugged him back tightly, her arms around his stomach. "Thank you… I needed to hear that."

Wes gave her one more quick squeeze back, then looked around. "Lets get out of here," he suggested. Jay nodded with vigor and they cautiously stepped into the hallway.

Just as they moved the door slid open.

Wes and Jay looked around in surprise as Dark Ace and Ravess stepped through the door. The four stared at each other, their eyes wide with surprise. There was a moment of complete and utter silence, then each of their minds clicked.

"Jay, run!" Wes cried, pushing his sister forward.

"Damn you!" Dark Ace shouted in fury as he launched himself at her. Wes, who had been expecting something like this, leapt in between them and braced his feet against the floor. Dark Ace slammed into him, the two crashing to the floor and rolling into the opposite wall. After only a second of struggling, Dark Ace managed to pin Wes to the floor.

"Wes!" Jay exclaimed. She turned around to help her brother and was met with one of Ravess's arrows. She automatically put her arm out to shield herself and the arrow exploded in blue light. Ravess had been expecting something like this and swiftly followed through with a kick. Jay flipped back just in time, the blue glow fading from around her arms.

Wes rolled to the side, throwing the talon off of him and onto the ground. The Sky Knight leapt to his feet, getting into a fighting stance. Dark Ace was on his feet in an instant, and drew his blade from his back. He slashed at Wes, his eyes ablaze with fury. "Your supposed to be dead!" he shrieked.

Wes ducked and grabbed the talons wrist. "Well I cant please everybody now can I," he retorted, his eyes never leaving the blade that passed just inches over his hair.

Jay twisted away from Ravess, lashing out with her heel. Ravess stepped back out of range and secured her fingers around Jay's ankle, yanking the girl's leg hard. Jay used this motion to her advantage and swung her other leg up, almost catching Ravess in the shoulder. The archer dropped Jay's foot and leapt back just in time.

"Jay… go!" Wes shouted, dodging Dark Ace's blade for the fifth time. His sister hesitated, torn between obeying her brother and not leaving him. He noticed this and glanced at her. "I'll be fine, just get out of here!"

Dark Ace saw his chance then and lunged, forcing Wes back against the wall. His deactivated blade came up to the boys neck and his eyes shifted to Jay. "Take one step and I'll kill your brother," he growled.

"Don't listen to him, Jay. Just get out while you still can!"

"Shut up!" Dark Ace spat, pressing the cool steel against the teens neck. Wes felt the sharp edge of the blade graze his skin and his side gave a twinge. He flattened his body against the wall in a vain attempt to get away.

Just as he did this, the door opened again and Master Cyclonis swept in. "What in bloody hell is taking so long?" she snapped. Then she pulled up short, the talons behind her scrambling to not run into her.

Her eyes narrowed as they took in the people before her. "This is really starting to get old," she growled, looking at each frozen figure in turn. Then she zoned in on Wes and a flicked of surprise crossed her face. "You? You survived?" But just as soon as it had come, it passed and her eyes turned steely again.

They shifted to Jay and she signaled with her hand as Dark Ace backed away from Wes, keeping his blade trained on him. "Seize her," she ordered. The guards rushed forward and Jay raised her glowing hands, ready to blast them all to the next terra.

"I wouldn't to that if I were you," Cyclonis taunted. She deftly reached into her cloak and drew out a deep maroon crystal, its core swirling with blood read smoke.

"Jay, look out!" Wes cried, but hen he realized that the crystal wasn't aimed for his sister… it was trained on him.

Wes's eyes went wide as a wave of pain washed over his body. He slowly sank to the floor with a moan, trying to focus on his sister. But his vision blurred and white spots began to dance in front of his eyes. His whole body felt like it was on fire, and his muscles began to contract, putting much more strain on his body then it was meant to handle.

"Wes, no!" Jay exclaimed dropping her hands to her sides and rushing forward. The guards intercepted her and dragged her back, away from her struggling brother.

"Jay…" he whispered, his voice pleading and desperate. "Go… get out of here… please!"

"You shut up!" Cyclonis hissed, her hold on the crystal tightening. It started to glow deeper red and Wes cried out in pain. Everything inside him felt like it was being twisted and burned, cut and slashed. He cried out again and curled up into a ball, writhing on the floor as his torso was repeatedly stabbed by invisible knives.

Jay watched this, horrified. Tears began streaming down her face and she started screaming. "Stop it! Please… stop!" she struggled despritly against the talons hold, her form raking in sobs. "I'll do anything… just stop hurting him!"

Cyclonis slowly lowered her hand and smiled. Wes's body went limp on the floor and he lay there, to exhausted to move. His breathing was shallow and ragged, and he let out a harsh cough, blood spurting from his mouth.

Jay finally broke free then and rushed to his side, tears still falling. She kneeled down and placed a hand on his shoulder, as he opened his eyes to look up at her. "Why didn't you go?" he rasped, a thin trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth.

"I'm sorry…" Jay whispered, shaking her head and crying. "I just couldn't leave you…" She didn't get a chance to say anymore as she was grabbed from behind by Dark Ace.

"Take her to the tower," Cyclonis ordered. "And put him in the cell." She pointed to Wes's ragged form. "Do not leave him unguarded under any circumstances, do I make myself clear." Then, without waiting for an answer, she glided through the door. Dark Ace and Raves followed, leading a defeated Jay between them.

The blond girl cast one last desperate glace behind her. She watched as the remaining talons roughly dragged her brother to the stairs. She felt anger swell up inside her at the look of pain on his face, and she swore revenge on Cyclonis for doing this to him. _'I will take you down'_ she thought a new feeling of determination welling up in her.

Wes weakly raised his head and gave her a pain filled glance. "I'm sorry…" his eyes seemed to say. "I'm so sorry, Jay. I've failed…"

Jay shook her head slightly as if saying: "No… you didn't. Trust me, this is not over yet." The he disappeared from her sight as she was led though the doorway.

* * *

AN: Okay... so it wasnt my best work... but it was 20 pages long! I will be waiting for your reviews! 


	13. Jay vs Cyclonis

**AN: Hey guys. Sorry i've been gone so long. School finals, then a BF, then vacay, then no BF... but i back at my writing full force! Yay! Anyways, review please! And thanks to BKipper for writing half of this chapter and giving me an idea to steal. She gets most of the credit.**

Disclamier: I dont own SH

* * *

A tense silence had fallen over the three occupants left on the Osprey.

Tex paced around in a tight circle on the bridge of the ship, fingers laced tightly behind his back. The black centers of his crimson eyes flicked back to the large windshield over and over again, like a metronome that just couldn't find the right tempo.

Crowe had her face pressed against the windshield, her sharp violet eyes searching the inky blackness of the expansive cave laid out before her. Her breathing remained long and concentrated, each exhale of air fogging the cool glass pressed against her face. Repeatedly she was forced to pull back and wipe it away with her sleeve, and each time was forced to see the reflection of Tex pacing behind her.

"Would you stop the freaking pacing!!"

Mikey jumped at Crowe's outburst nearly pulling the radio off the table by the headphones. Grabbing the bottom so it wouldn't fall, he gingerly pushed it back onto the table. His eyes lead the turn of his head as he looked over his shoulder, wincing inwardly at the look Crowe was giving Tex.

Tex's head snapped up, his eyes flashing as they narrowed on Crowe. She met his gaze with equal hostility; purple slits shooting daggers as static flowed between them.

"I'll pace if I want to," Tex snarled.

"Oh really?" Crowe snorted. "And what happens when you wear a hole in the floor, hmm?"

"Then I'll just pace on the next floor!" Tex snapped back.

"Shut up both of you!" Mikey barked. The other two looked at him, surprised that their big teddy bear had such sharp claws.

Mikey however was not at all surprised by his bluntness. Whenever these two started to bicker it always resulted in Tex getting his butt handed to him on a silver platter. It wasn't very often that the others got a chance to intervene, and Mikey was not about to pass this chance up. His cool attitude swiftly returning, he calmly looked at them. "Were getting a call."

The other two immediately shut up, casting a glance at each other. Crowe bowed her head silently, feeling ashamed for how she had just acted towards Tex. The other teen she knew was feeling just as worried as she was, if not more. The fate of the team rested in his hands at the moment also, being acting team leader and all.

She stared at her feet until she felt a shift in the air and front of her and an arm slid across her shoulders. Looking up slowly she found the strength to meet his gaze.

Tex looked down at her with nothing but remorse in his eyes. "Im sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to snap… I mean…well… I overreacted." Crowe nodded.

"Me too. I guess the stress is getting to both of us," she replied softly. Tex pulled her close to his side and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Forgive me?" he asked.

"Only if you forgive me also." Crowe wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him tightly. He returned it willingly and with nothing but gentleness, wanting and needing to feel that it was now alright between them.

"Of course," he whispered as he brushed her silver locks out of her face. They slipped through his fingers gently, falling into place behind her ear exactly as he liked it. Crowe sighed contently and rested her head on his chest a moment longer, drawing the comfort she needed, then pulled back and turned back to the window. Tex remained by her side, his arm around her waist in a protective fashion.

Mikey watched them from the corner of his eye, the headphones loosely held in his hands in front of him. They hovered there until his friends moved to the window, joined at the hip and silent. It was only then that he slipped them up over his ears and in one swift movement flicked the frequency switch with his elbow.

After the usual burst of static a low hum settled in his ears as the radio searched for the proper frequency. Bits and snippets of other conversations sometimes made their way into his brain, a distant white noise to the humming. After a few minuets of this the static returned, the radio done with its searching job. Mikey sighed and slipped the headphones off. Whoever had been trying to contact them had given up a second to early. He just hoped it wasn't too important.

* * *

"No answer," Piper sighed setting down the communicator. "I hope nothing went wrong."

Aerrow shifted his gaze from the window to her for a second. "I'm pretty sure the Silver Falcons can handle it if something went wrong… don't worry," he finished with a small smile. Then he turned back to the window, his hands clasped behind his back.

Piper gazed at him from her seat at the table. She had herd that war could change a person, and now she believed it. It had definitely made a change in Aerrow. Looking upon his face, she realized just how old he now looked. Lines of stress and worry beyond his years carved his face in a way that slightly troubled Piper. She realized that he looked like Wes… like he had been forced to grow up way to soon.

Piper sighed and looked back down at the table. She hoped that this change wasn't permanent for her sake as well as his. She hoped that when this was all over, he would go back to his old self. The fairy haired, daredevil boy with big ambitions that she loved.

Piper sighed and followed his gaze out the window. The jagged points of Cyclonia loomed up below them, reaching out as if trying to drag then down. Ahead of them a line of airships hovered, all facing the center of Cyclonia. All prepped for battle. The insignias of many famous Atmosian squadrons shone in the red light of the dark Cyclonian sky. Many not so famous insignias could be seen as well.

Beyond them, a line of cyclonian cruisers waited to meet them. (Cue ominous music) Talons were everywhere, hovering… watching… waiting.

A skimmer passed in front of the Condors large windshield and slowed. Meeko looked in at them and gave them a solemn salute. Aerrow nodded back and the Ammon guardian speed over to his own ship. Rheas pulled up next to him and they held a short conversation. Then Meeko leaned over and pulled her to him, kissing her tenderly. Rheas kissed him back, her hand coming up and running through his hair.

Piper's sharp eye caught the gleam of a ring on the older women's finger. She smiled sadly to herself. So those two were engaged. Oh how she hoped that they would be able to get married after this. How she prayed that they would all make it out of this okay.

"Alright you guys." Aerrow's voice brought the dark haired girl out of her thoughts and back to the present. "Its time…" he trailed off and looked into each of his friends eyes. "Keep your eyes open and your wits about you. Help each other out and be careful." His voice softened. "I don't want any of you taking any unnecessary chances. I don't want any of you hurt… I don't want to lose any of you…"

Piper stood and walked over to him, taking his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. Finn put a hand on his friends shoulder. "Don't worry dude, we'll be fine. I mean we are the Storm Hawks."

"Yes," Stork agreed from the controls. "We do have an uncanny knack for getting out of situations that should have otherwise lead to our impending doom." Everyone looked at him, and he shrugged. "Well its true."

A grin spread Junko's face. "Then lets go kick some major cyclonian butt!" He and Finn ran out the door, yells and war woops echoing in the space behind them.

Aerrow and Piper followed at a slightly slower pace. When they were alone, Aerrow paused and looked at the ground. "I suppose its useless to ask you to stay here?"

Piper came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face her. "Yes it is. There is no way in hell that I'm letting you go out there alone."

"But Piper-" He tried to argue, but she cut him off with a soft kiss.

"Hey, I may not be the best fighter out there, but I would like to think I have some skill." She smiled.

Aerrow frowned. "I know you have plenty of skill, but what if something happens? What if we get separated and I am unable to protect you? What if-"

She cut him off with another, deeper kiss. He closed his eyes and wrapped one arm around her waist, the other joining her hand at her hip.

Piper pulled back slowly and his head followed slightly, his lips begging for more. She put her hand on his cheek gently and he opened his leaf green eyes, meeting hers. "Have faith, Aerrow. We'll make it make it through this, together. You promised not to leave my side and I promise not to leave yours." She stroked his cheek softly with her thumb. "I love you Aerrow. I love you for who you are- my daredevil Sky Knight. I don't want that person to go away. I'm going with you, whether you like it or not."

Aerrow managed a small smile and nuzzled her hand. "You are so stubborn… but I love you for it." He raised his hand and pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. Then he frowned, his finger trailing down her cheek. "I just don't want anything to happen to you."

Piper pulled his face close to hers, leaning her forehead against his. She met his eyes, determination in hers. "If we stick together, nothing will."

Aerrow sighed and nodded. "Alright." He kissed her passionlessly, and then pulled away. "Let's go…"

* * *

"This way, Mikey," Tex whispered as he signaled to his friend. Together they slipped around a corner and up a short flight of stairs, casting weary glances around. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, they rounded another yet another corner.

They entered a long, solid metal hallway with doors lining both sides. Each door was sealed tightly, a small slit in the upper center. The middle door on the left side of the hallway had two talons outside it, one posted on each side. They leaned on their staffs lazily, wining to each other about how they should be out there fighting and not guarding some stupid kid.

Mikey spotted them first, yanking Tex back into the stair well. Pressing up against the wall, he looked at the shorter teen. "What do we do about them?" he whispered.

Tex thought for a second and looked around them. "I guess I'll distract them and then you'll have to knock them out."

"No need," Mikey replied softly, peering around the corner. "They're leaving."

"What?" Tex said surpised. He put his hand on Mikey's arm and looked down the hall past him. Sure enough, the guards were strolling down the hallway in the opposite direction.

"They must be changing shifts," Mikey muttered.

Tex nodded in agreement. "Then we have to be fast. That cell must be important if it's being guarded."

Together they slipped down the hall. Reaching the door, they pressed themselves close to the wall. Tex watched the hallway as Mikey peered into the opining the door. "Is Jay in there?" Tex hissed.

"No… I can't see- oh crud!"

"What? What do you see?!" Tex said, his eyes darting from Mikey to the end of the hall and back.

The black haired teen stepped away from the door. "It's Wes. And he looks in pretty bad shape. We need to get him out now."

Tex nodded, hearing the concern in his friend's voice. He stepped away from the wall and drew one of the guns at his side. Turning to the door, he twisted a switch on the back of the gun, setting the blast to its lowest setting. Then, raising the gun and taking careful aim, he fired at the lock of the door.

A small green blast emitted from the barrel of the gun and the lock shattered with barely a sound. The door silently opened partway, casting more light into the dank cell. Tex spun the gun around on his finger once then replaced it in the holster. "Good thing Wes got silencers for these things," he muttered as he slipped into the cell.

Wes's limp form lay tucked in the far corner of the cell, his back turned deafly to the door. If he had noticed the door opening, he gave no hint of it.

Tex moved across the cell quickly, feeling a growing sense of fear forming in the air around him. Something wasn't right about his leaders figure. "Mikey," he said softly. The other teen was right behind him, and Tex could sense his nod.

Reaching the fallen blond, Tex kneeled down and placed his hand on his friends shoulder. "Wes?" he asked, shaking him gently. He got no response.

"Wes?" Mikey asked a little more urgently. He bent down and pulled his leader over onto his back, and gasped.

The usual bright and determined face of the Silver Falcons leader was pale and drained. His intelligent green eyes were hidden by chalky lids, black lashes brushing white cheeks. A trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, leaving a red trail down his jaw to the top of his collar.

Tex and Mikey stared at him, then glanced at each other. "Damn," Tex muttered. "Not good."

"We have to get him out. Get him somewhere other then here," Mikey said lifting up Wes gently, so as not to hurt him. Tex pushed back all the emotions welling up inside him and slipped one of Wes's arms over his shoulders. Mikey glanced at him as he followed suit.

"Here," Mikey said softly as he positioned himself in front of Wes. "It will be faster if I carry him." All Tex could do was nod, and moved to help lift the unconscious blond up onto his friends back. He moved back as Mikey slid his hands under Wes's legs, being incredible slow and smooth in his movements.

"Oh my god… Tex! What did you do!"

Tex turned blinked in surprise and turned, his eyes falling on the figure in the doorway. "Crowe?" he asked in disbelief. "I thought I told you to stay at the Osprey…"

"Yah… no," Crowe shook her head as she moved aside to let Mikey pass. She spoke to Tex, but her eyes followed Wes with a strange mix of curiosity and anger. "You really didn't think that I would stay there, did you? Besides," she went on before he could retort. "If it wasn't for me, you would have been caught by now."

Sure enough, the hallway that the trio set off down was littered with 'sleeping' guards. Tex bit his lip and glanced at Crowe jogging next to him. "I'm kinda glad you didn't listen to me know…" he admitted.

Despite the situation they were all in, Crowe couldn't help her usual cocky grin. "Tex… I never listen to you." He nodded.

"I know," he sighed. "I know…"

* * *

Jay stumbled forward and she was shoved into the tower room roughly, Dark Ace entering close at her heels. "Keep moving," he growled harshly, shoving her again.

Jay scowled at her bound hands secured in front of her and mumbled a nasty retort under her breath. Her oceanic eyes, now bright with pent up anger, flicked to the side to gauge the space between them, hoping he was in kicking distance.

She gasped and went rigid however when a set of sharp nails dug into her neck and long, cold, slender fingers wrapping tightly around the back of it. "Don't even consider it," Ravess hissed in her ear. "I know what you're thinking."

"That is enough. Ravess, Dark Ace? You both may go."

"But Master," Dark Ace started.

"I said go." Master Cyclonis turned from her usual spot at the large open windows and nodded to her two goons. They bowed and Ravess grudgingly released Jay. She and Dark Ace cast a glance at each other as they turned and moved towards the door, pausing once to cast a glance back at their master. As if they weren't there, Master Cyclonis turned back to the window and gestured Jay forward.

"Come on forward Jay. I wish to speak to you."

"Im good thanks," Jay replied coolly standing her ground. "I can hear just fine from here."

Cyclonis's eyes flashed for a second but she nodded and looked back at her. "Very well then. I suppose you also know why your here?"

"I didn't think I had a choice frankly," Jay replied dryly.

Ignoring the other girl's shortness Cyclonis went on. "That jewel hanging around your neck has come to interest me greatly. I assume you know what it is, since you have used it multiple times?"

Jay simply nodded.

"Good. That saves me time and energy. But frankly, you have come to interest me as well, Jay. The fact that you have given my top talons the slip multiple times is quite insulting to me, though I wonder if it says more about them then about you…"

"Let my brother go."

Cyclonis couldn't help but blink at Jay's bluntness, turning and striding towards her. "Now why in heavens name should I do that?"

"Because he has nothing to do with this," Jay replied carefully. Her eyes followed the dark lord as the older women walked around her slowly, eyeing the blond like a hungry vulture assessing its prey.

"Oh that is where you are wrong," Cyclonis smiled. "You see… he has everything to do with it. You want to know the only reason he is still clinging to that last shred of life? Leverage. As long as I have him, I have you." Jay bit her lip and bowed her head, searching her mind for a way out of all this.

"Am I wrong?" Cyclonis prompted. Her captives silence was all she needed and she smiled. Little did she know what was really going on in Jay's head.

"Now let's get this over with. I have an empire to take over." Cyclonis reached out for Jay, who took a step back.

"No!" Raising her bound arms out in front of her, Jay's eyes flashed dangerously. Blue light radiated from her hands, twisting and swirling up around her arms and shoulders. "Not if I have any say in it!"

Light condensed into a blue mass of energy ripped and from her fingers, the bounds around her hands disincarnating and falling away. Her whole body trembled with the force of the blast, golden locks whipping around her face from the charged air around her. She felt her hands grow warm. Heat radiated from the stone around her neck and spread along her skin up her neck and across her shoulders.

Cyclonis was taken completely by surprise and barely had enough time to draw her staff before she was met with the powerful blast. It forced her backwards at an alarming rate, engulfing her in a bluish mist. Time seemed to stop for a second as she became disoriented and the room disappeared. _'Such power… I must have it!'_

"Ah!" The dark master gasped as she slammed full force into one of the stone pillars around the perimeter of the room. Dropping to one knee, she shook her head to clear the fog and gazed up at Jay. A slow smile spread across her face.

By the looks of it, the younger girl was not faring to well after the effort it took to control a blast of that magnitude. Jay had to been forced back into the wall and now gripped it for support. The flame in her blue eyes was masked by an emptiness, as if all her energy had been drained out of her in a matter of seconds. Her chest rose and fell rapidly while it competed with the speed of her now racing heart.

"Well well," Cyclonis chuckled as she rose to her feet. "Looks like someone needs a little practice. Here… let me show you how it's done!" Her staff came up and a white fog engulfed Jay, slicking the floor below her feet.

'_Ice!'_

Jay leapt to the side and tumbled across the floor as a huge column of ice rose up in the place she had been standing not moments ago. Needle sharp points reached as high as the ceiling, a lucky few breaking through it and into the red clouds above.

A simple turn of the head told Jay that Cyclonis was not finished yet. Reaching into her cloak she withdrew an all too familiar crystal. Its core glowed with blood red smoke, its sides glistening a deep crimson. Jay saw her brother there. His writhing image swirling around in its depths. Tears of anger raced to her eyes as she stood, suddenly strong as the adrenalin finally kicked in full force.

Cyclonis gingerly extracted the expelled frost crystal and slipped the Vespa crystal into the vacated space. "Lets see how you fair against this," she challenged, stroking the crystal as if it was a beloved pet of hers.

Jay watched her eyes through the crystals depths as they wavered in and out of proportion. A violent chill ran up her spine, but she didn't back down. Her plan had to work now. She was in to deep. "Bring it," she hissed.

Cyclonis lunged and struck out with her staff, but Jay had renewed her strength greatly. Her arm, encased in a blue glove of light, twisted around its handle and latched on tightly.

Using her momentum, Cyclonis spun around and sent Jay flying back towards the wall. Jay twisted around in the air and met the stone with her feet, pausing for a second before launching herself back at the dark haired women. Bringing her staff up to meet her, Cyclonis stabbed with it and smiled when she felt the sharp tip glide through her opponents flesh.

Jay cried out as pain seared through her shoulder. Hitting the floor on her other side, she slid to a stop in the center of the room, the ice mountain to her back and Master Cyclonis in front. Blood trickled down her neck and arm, but she forced her will to ignore it and slowly got to her feet, swaying a bit.

Cyclonis laughed. "I am really disappointed. I was hoping for a challenging fight, but I was way off." She twirled her staff around and pointed it at Jay, sending a small but powerful red blast back at her.

The Silver Falcon raised her good arm and sent one racing back. The two hit and canceled each other out. Unfortunately for Jay, she hadn't seen Cyclonis release a second one right after the first. Her eyes just had time to see it rip out of the smoke before it hit her square in the chest.

A new pain ripped through her entire body as she was sent reeling back and crashed into one of the ice spikes, shattering it completely. She hit the wall a second time and sank to the floor, gasping for breath.

Cyclonis watched as the other girl struggled to hold herself together, keeled over at the waist and clutching her shoulder. A cascade of blond hair hid her face and upper body from Cyclonis view, but provided her no sense of security.

Cyclonis gave her captive a moment to dwell in her defeat, watching the whole time with nothing but triumph in her eyes. Her feet tapped lightly on the floor as she glided across it and yanked Jay's head up by her ponytail, loving the pitiful sound she made.

"I'll take that," she said sweetly grasping the crystal and yanking it roughly so the chain broke with a snap. "Beautiful," she whispered, gazing through its pale blueness to her hand on the other side. Jay whimpered softly and Cyclonis looked up. "Oh my. Where are my manors today. Thank you Jay. You just doomed Atmose." She laughed and threw the crying girl aside.

"Your… a monster!" Jay rasped from the ground.

Cyclonis just laughed and kicked Jay towards the edge of the tower. "Oddly, I'm okay with that. It did get me this," she held up the crystal and gazed at it hungrily. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a storm engine to run." She pushed Jay's legs over the edge of the floor and watched her scramble to get a hold with her arms. "It was nice doing business with you… kiddo."

Jay gasped and looked up as Cyclonis grabbed her arms and shoved her out into space. Jay screamed as she plummeted down, her ears echoing with the dark lord's evil laughter.

"Aerrow! Piper! It's good to see you guys!"

* * *

Roseate walked out of the home, smiling amongst the tired faces. She instantly caught on. "Is everything okay?" The group emerged, the Silver Falcons following the Storm Hawks. The person Tex and Mikey were carrying was not in  
good shape. "Oh no..."

Jay-Jay and Yuro came out as she gasped, the boys wild grins fading fast. Heron bounded out as well, but his wagging tail fell limply as he caught sight of the scene. The dog whined when Mikey didn't pat him on the head.

Wes's limp form stabbed her heart. The boy who had been so confident, so assuring, so strong... was now at deaths door again. Tex and Mikey stopped at her door, silently asking for permission to enter. She ignored them, her hands reaching out to rest on either side of his face as his dirty blonde hair, some ends tinted with blood, bushed against her fingers.

"Rose?" Tex broke her trance on his leader's face, the girl snapping her head up to him.

"OH! Of course, come inside!" Rose assured, a bit overwhelmed. She knelt by Wes on the couch, who looked like he was in mental pain as well, murmuring things. The group was silent, Heron whining along with Radarr. Aerrow gave Radarr a quick pat, silencing him. "Where's Jay?" Rose did a mental head count, and jerked up at her realization.

No one answered, only lowered their heads. Crowe bit her lip so hard she could taste blood.

"She's...gone?" The girl chocked out.

"We, we don't know." Piper answered. Jay-Jay and Yuro stepped back from  
their sister and the beaten boy, running into Tex and Mikey. The brothers  
remained by them for the remainder of silence. Jay-Jay clung tightly to Tex's pant leg and looked up at the teen that had once saved his life. Tex looked down and put a hand on the nine year olds head gently. Mikey knelt down you Yuro's level and remained at the boys side.

"Well, I think Wes is our main priority right now." Rose finally decided.  
"I need him brought to the guest room upstairs. It's closer to the  
bathroom and first aid supplies."

Junko laid him on the wide tan bed, Rose  
at his side once again. She had asked Finn to retrieve water for her, and he  
silently filled her request. What was left of Wes's shirt was removed, and  
Rose immediately knew this was going to be the hardest healing jobs she'd  
ever had. Once Finn had the water, Rose pulled it from the bowl as soon as he  
entered the doorway, the stream floating through the air to her. Crowe stepped  
back as the water passed her face, the silver haired girl seeing her own tired  
and upset reflection for a moment. Piper settled by Aerrow, the two huddled  
together.

Rose let the water cover her hands, JayJay keeping Heron from standing by his  
master. The second her fingers connected with his skin, he squirmed with pain.  
Tex moved forward to stop her.

"No. This is normal. I have to drain the crystal's 'venom' first."  
Rose kept him at a distance.

Wes relaxed under her power, and Rose's deep cleansing breaths were soon in  
sync with his. The water glowed with a bright light, radiating off  
everyone's faces. Rose's hands slowly worked their way along his torso,  
her deep breaths becoming ragged and sharp. Her brain was painting a mental  
image of all the damage, and it was so severe and damaged that Rose had to bit  
her lip to keep from gasping out loud. The water made a snapping sound as it  
faded into his skin.

Her hands lifted from Wes's chest, the internal damage fixed for the most  
part. Rose took a deep breath and shuddered, her fingers pulling in and out as  
if to rid them of blood. Her head sagged, and her hands rested on the floor,  
body slumped over.

"Rose? You alright?" Mikey asked, coming up to her.

"So...much... internal damage." Rose uttered, "It's almost impossible  
for him to be alive. But thank God he is."

"He's alive!?" Crowe shouted in surprise.

"Yes." Roseate smiled lightly. "Yes."

The room exploded. Crowe and Tex spun around while embracing, Finn grinning  
lightly. Aerrow and Piper hugged, Piper crying into his shoulder with relief.  
Jay-Jay and Yuro pulled Stork in their little circle of skipping, the Merb  
petrified. Junko let out a hoot with Mikey as Heron barked and ran around  
them, his tail wagging crazily.

Rose didn't move, still hunched over. Her mind clouded as the noise died  
down, blue eyes shifting as she focused on his face. A greenblue color, like  
the unconscious boy's eyes, filtered into her vision from the corners as  
everything fogged up. Yuro called out, but his voice was blurred.

"Rose? ROSE!" The ten year old cried; the first to notice his sister's  
change in attitude.

Her body jerked back, head thrown up to the ceiling, mouth open in a silent  
scream. An invisible arm seemed to have a hold on her heart, arms hanging  
back. Memories flooded her mind, flashes of emotions keeping pace with the  
visions. Jay's face popped in and out of them, the fairhaired girl's  
expression and emotion different for each flicker. Two other faces followed,  
one beautiful older woman with Jay's bright blue eyes, and a man who held  
Wes's characteristics of strength. Rose felt nothing but pain, the burn of  
agony starting in the pit of her stomach. The memories were more recent,  
shadows racing and red lights flashing. She could hear voices ringing in her  
ears, screams and yells of anger and fear making her ears hurt. Light's were  
blazing as her iris's shrunk and grew, trying to adjust to each imaginary  
shift in brightness. Wes's voice added into the chorus of shouts, his voice  
the loudest. Jay's name was screamed, followed with an order to run.  
Rose had been silent, just gasping now and then, her body frozen. As another  
wave of pain combined with Jay's cry and a sickening red light bombarded  
her, Rose screamed. It was one of the worst screams the entire group had  
heard, JayJay crying. Filled with agony and fear, it rang and bounced against  
the walls.

"WES!" Rose screamed in a shrilly voice, trying to break out of the  
apparitions. It was his memories, his mind, his blood she had tampered with  
while healing him. So she must share them. Yuro trembled, clinging to Mikey  
who was trying to force the younger boy's face away from the brown haired  
healer. Piper's hands dug into Aerrow's collar, the girl frightened beyond  
all reason. Jay-Jay hid his face in Tex's pant leg, sobbing in terror. Crowe stood on his other side and clung to his jacket tightly, frozen in shock. The pilot had one arm tightly around her, the other supporting Jay-Jay.

Rose's mind began to become overwhelmed, a headache forming in the front of  
her skull. Her scream died as the memories gave one last blinding wave of  
lights, sounds, and feelings. Forward she fell, her hands slamming onto the  
floor with a slap. Jay-Jay and Yuro ran to her, the younger one sobbing. Heron  
loudly whined and dashed to his master, tail hanging between his legs. The others stared in a shock silence at each other, then sprang into action.

* * *

Wes stirred, eyes slowly opening to a blurry vision. He downheartedly expected it to be the Cyclonian cell, bleak shadows and murmurs of the guards outside waiting in his  
mind. But the room he was in was glowing with a creamy light, bathing the  
figure leaning over him. The brown outline of her face hung down, her blue  
eyes the first part to come into focus. Those eyes were familiar, gentle and  
serene. He let out a groan when his head pounded, but when he reached up to  
put a hand on it, no scornful pain erupted from his stomach and lungs. His  
green eyes closed again as he laid back down, forced by a cool hand to his  
forehead.

"Who?" Wes forced out, suddenly grabbing the lower arm of the unknown  
person. She gasped when he did so, not expecting him to react so fast.

"Wes?" Her voice flicked on a switch in his brain.

"Rose?" He realized as his vision finally stopped shifting. Her face  
hovered over his, sadly smiling. She removed her hand from his forehead as he  
let go.

"Do you feel alright?" She asked, eyes not falling from his. He nodded.  
"My God, you took a beating." Her hand ran lightly along his cheek,  
trailing off his chin. Wes couldn't say anything, her calmness contrasting  
with his recent journey. Then when he figured that he was at her home, another  
person's safety became his concern.

"Where's Jay?" He sat up, suddenly frantic. Rose jumped, her mind  
flashing with some of the horrendous memories he had given her during the  
healing. She looked away from him, her hair covering her face from him. Wes  
pushed forward to her, grabbing her arm gently. "Where's my sister?!"

"If I tell you, will you stay?" Her question was quiet, barely reaching  
his ears.

"What?" Wes answered, Rose turning at him with hurt in her eyes. His face  
fell.

"If I tell you, will you stay where you are? Right here." She asked  
again, the backs of her eyes filled with the glow from the lamp.  
"Why?" Wes pulled her in by her upper arms, beginning to get angry for an  
unexplained reason. "This isn't about me. Where's Jay?" Rose took a  
deep breath, closing her eyes.

"I cannot tell you anything if you do not promise to stay here." Rose  
opened her eyes again, face looking aged and tired. Hints of sorrow were  
creeping in from the ends. Wes let her go and leaned back on the bed.  
"Fine." His urgency, to his frustration, had no affect on her. "I  
promise."

"Okay." Rose said, breathing out in relief. She had no reason to fear  
him, but his reaction to her refusal had startled her.

"Well? Where's Jay?" He pressed on the issue, Rose's eyes on the  
carpet. They slowly, painfully, turned on him as she gave him the answer.  
"We...We don't know."

"WHAT! You don't know!?" Wes jumped up from the bed, Rose rising from  
her kneeled spot by him, cutting him off.

"You promised to stay put!" Her voice got firm, her body trembling  
lightly from a sudden chill.

"I don't care! I need to find my sister!" Wes became angry, his anger  
from failing the last mission and letting Finn run off with Jay building into  
this moment.

"I can't let you go." Rose stood in front of him still.

"I'm not going to let you stop me." He growled, the room falling  
silent.

"You honestly think this is some kind of heroic deed for you?" She  
snapped; fatigue, sleepless nights with dreams of the fragmented memories  
haunting her, and the waiting by his side for his awakening keeping her from  
being moved aside. Wes stopped for a moment, but then kept going. This girl  
was not going to decide what was best for his sister.

"It's not about me!" He yelled at her. "Jay, my sister, needs me. You  
can't tell me what's right for her." He tried to go around her, but she  
gripped his arm, turning him back to her.

"It may seem it's not about you, but oh boy it is." Rose stated.

"Your sister needs you, that's true. But do you think you could go back to  
Cyclonia the way you are and successfully save her?! Hmm?"

"I'm fine." Wes simply replied, trying to pull away. But she refused to  
let him go.

"No you're not!"

"You don't know anything!" He whorled on her, trying to get her to  
understand. "I can't let her die!"

"You're gonna kill yourself before you can even get to her!" She came  
back with, the two only about a half of a foot from each other.

"She's relying on me, Rose! ME! She's all I got left!" The boy  
shouted; his bark most definitely worse than his bite. Rose sighed and closed  
her eyes. He thought he won. Her blue eyes opened and something flashed in his  
mind. One of the memories from that failed mission in Cyclonia.

"My brothers are all I have left. Many, many, times I would willingly give  
myself up for them. But unless death is waiting for them in an instant, I will  
build my strength so I can save them. So I can stay alive to be there in the  
future. So I can heal their hearts as well as their wounds. So I can see them  
again." Rose went into her calm and tired mode again, slumping in front of  
him. Silence followed for some time. Then she spoke. "Go ahead. Try to save  
her. I could understand because of all the hell you went through."

"How do you know?" Wes asked, not remembering telling anyone.

"When I healed you, you had so much internal damage. So much." Her voice  
became stressed, heart almost pleading for it not to be true. "Almost  
everything was broken or bleeding. You were supposed to die. But you didn't.  
When I fixed your organs, something happened. I tampered with your body too  
much. Your body, your mind, your blood... I was forced to share the pain  
because I had taken so much away. Your memories, for the past few days, are  
now mine as well."

Wes couldn't talk. Now it wasn't only Jay he had owed his life to.

"You know what happened?" Wes uttered, Roseate nodding humbly. "Then  
you know why I need to save her." Rose bit her lip as he turned away, about  
to reach for the doorknob.

"You can't do it alone, you know. No one will let you."  
"Huh?" He looked back at her.

"If you leave, I'll…I'll…I'll stop you." She squared her shoulders,  
the dark circles under her eyes show that she could never fight for very long  
in the current condition she was in. "I'll scream. And the others will  
come and keep you here until we know where Jay is."

"You wouldn't. You won't." Wes advanced to her, Rose keeping the  
distance between them consistent. "I'll never forgive you." That  
sentence seemed to get to her, her body jerking as if someone had kicked her  
in the stomach.

"You will when Jay is returned to you." She replied, stopping her circle.  
Wes continued to come to her, his green eyes half pleading and half  
determined. His hands were extended to grab her, and her breath hitched in her  
throat. "MIKE-"

Wes clamped his hands over her mouth, Rose struggling against him. Her small  
body was helpless and her fear began to rise as he tried to secure the rest of  
her body. A red flash entered her mind and she began to go insane. One thought  
entered her mind: save yourself.

Her hand pushed into his stomach, the organ inside him clenching in a  
harmless but painful wave that made him loosen, but not release her. He fell  
backwards, regaining his footing as he slammed into a night table, sending  
some books and a glass of water over the edge.

"Stop it! I'll stop if you do!!" Wes tried to ease her panic, but the  
hauntings of the memories made the visions seem like they were occurring now.  
Jay's screams echoed in her head, Wes's groans and cries of pain covering  
his real reasoning's. The Dark Ace's laughter and commands followed a deep  
woman's voice that was just as frightening. Wes's arms became the Dark  
Ace's, and Rose began to cry and scream under Wes's hand. Fatigue weighed  
her down, her petite body writhing with the one plea to get away. Wes felt her  
weaken, and her eyes turned back on his. It almost made him drop her.  
The bright blue orbs were overwhelmed with fear and terror, sheer terror.  
They reminded his of his mother's eyes the moment before her death. A few  
seconds later, and Rose had succumbed to visions, her body giving out under  
all the stress. Her delicate form hung in his arms, hair covering her face  
like a curtain.

"What's going on?" Piper burst the door open with Crowe and Aerrow  
right behind her. "We heard some noise and Wes!?"

"She went crazy!" Wes tried to cover the scene. "Like I'm gonna be if  
you guys don't tell me where Jay is!"

"What did youo her?! She stays by your bedside for three days, and you  
knock her out?!" Crowe shouted. "What the hell is up with you?"

"I didn't knock Rose out! She went crazy when I tried to go get Jay!"  
Wes explained, but mentally kicked himself for giving away his plan.

"By yourself!? I'd go crazy too!" Crowe put her fingers to her temples,  
trying to put the scene together as he had expressed.

"Let me take her." Aerrow offered, Wes handing the girl off to the red  
head, who took her back to her room. Mikey, Tex, and Finn managed to waltz in  
the second she was taken out, Junko asking to carry her the rest of the way.  
Aerrow complied.

"What the" Tex started, seeing the girl unconscious.

"Wes made her go 'crazy' after he threatened to leave." Crowe filled  
in.

"Wait, someone called my name before, I think. Was that?" Mikey tried to  
ask.

"Yeah. It was Rose." Wes sat on the bed, letting a deep breath out. _'I  
guess you got what you wanted after all, Rose,'_ he thought._ Now I'm stuck  
here._

AN: REVIEW PLEASE! And thanks again to BKipper

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	14. Back

AN: Told you all i was back at it! This is probably one of the fastest updates i've done in a while! Anyways, a HUGE OMG THANKS goes to Bkipper for her amazing characters and her graciousness in letting me use them. Go read all her stories. They make mine look like nothing! But for now, enjoy this relitivly short chapter...lol

Disclaimer: I dont own SH...dang

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The blackness around her was stifling, but at the same time soothing

The blackness around her was stifling, but at the same time oddly soothing. Jay felt like her body was floating in an ocean of darkness, her mind moving in and out of awareness. Her limbs were limp at her sides and she found she couldn't move them, no matter how hard she tried.

'_Am… am I dead?' _Jay wondered. She tried desperately to open her eyes. She couldn't be dead. She was so young. And Wes. What would Wes do? He needed her so much.

Jay fought harder, not wanting to believe this. "No…" she murmured. "No… Wes…" Slowly the darkness became more of a grey hue and she could feel wind gliding past her body. Soon she became aware of a strong arm around her shoulders and the low hum of a skimmer. All the sounds of war she had been expecting to hear were absent, instead she herd a pair of soft voices.

"Fallon," a gentle women's voice came from Jay's right. It sounded a little distant, Jay not fully back in reality yet. But her ears perked and she listened to what this strange couple had to say. "I think it's for the best."

"I agree Reah." A deeper, stronger mans voice answered right above Jay. A second later there was a slight jarring motion and the breeze died to still air. The atmosphere changed to a lighter, cleaner, safer feeling, much different from the place Jay just left.

"Where...?" Jay murmured as she felt herself be lifted up cradle style.

"Shh…" the women's voice came again. A soft hand came down to rest on her forehead as if checking for a fever. "You're safe now." The hand moved down the side of her face and rested on her cheek for a second.

"M…mom?" Jay whispered. The action was so familiar and so motherly that for a second she thought it was her mother speaking to her. Then she remembered. Her parents were dead.

"No honey. Im sorry." The hand left her cheek and Jay almost whimpered. She slowly opened her eyes, but everything was just a massive blur of color. She moaned as her eyes tried to adjust, sending a sharp pain behind them.

"Reah? How about right here. She won't be seen."

"Alright. I hate to just leave her though."

"She'll be fine. Don't worry."

Jay's vision cleared a little as she was laid gently in the soft grass. She blinked and looked up at the two still blurry faces above her. The woman who's voice was so motherly had a face to fit it. Long brown hair flowed down around her face in silky waves, falling down over her shoulders and swaying gently as she bent down. Deep emerald eyes shown out from her face, a mothers eyes by definition.

The man who had carried her to safety reminded her of someone she had seen not to long ago, except much older. He had short golden hair and intelligent oceanic eyes, his features carved into his face nicely.

Jay reached out as they stood and started to move away. "Wait!" she said with all the strength she could muster, though that wasn't much. When the two figures paused she struggled onto her elbows. "Who… who are you? Where am I? Don't leave me here!"

The women looked at her partner and then at the ground, slowly dawning a cyclonian helmet. The man put a hand on her shoulder and looked back at Jay. "Don't worry. Rose will find you." Without another word he two put on a helmet and they left, their cyclonian skimmers gliding almost soundlessly off into the trees.

Jay tried to push herself up, but fell back with a moan. She was just too weak to move anymore. Her head rolled to the side and she closed her eyes, grass tickling her cheek gently. The girl struggled to stay conscious but with all the energy she had just used she just couldn't hold on. "Reah…Fallon…" she muttered. "Thank you."

* * *

Tex finally turned from the large window of the living room. He had been standing there, watching the sun go down. The big ball of light had disappeared over an hour ago, but Tex hadn't bothered to move. Most of the others, he assumed, had gone to bed long ago and he was considering turning in. Rose had been put to bed after her little episode with Wes; the blond teen hadn't left his room since. Crowe and Piper had taken the liberty of putting Yuro and Jay-Jay to sleep, and Piper now slept curled up in a chair in Rose's room, keeping watch on the girl. It was safe to assume that Aerrow was with her.

Tex moved to go sit on the couch but knew that he wasn't going to sleep. He had too much going through his mind. He stopped however when his eyes fell the figure in the doorway across from him.

Crowe stood huddled just inside the large room, a blanket held tightly around small shoulders. She slowly looked up and met his gaze, her tear filled purple eyes unusually childlike under her silver locks. "T…Tex?"

The rust haired pilot took one step towards her and held his arms open. Crowe didn't need any words from him. She ran across the room and into his warm embrace, burying her face in his chest. His arms came around her and held her close, rubbing her back soothingly with one hand. "Its okay…" he murmured softly. "I'm here. I've got you."

Crowe gripped his jacket tightly and pressed her face close, not wanting him to see her in her weak moment. Her form shook as she tried to control her crying, an inward fight going on between her pride and her emotions. She had been holding it in ever since they rescued Wes and she just couldn't any more.

After a few minuets she looked up at Tex, unshed tears shimmering below her irises. "Do… do you think Jay is…"

Tex immediately shook his head and put his finger over her lips to stop her. "No. I don't. And you shouldn't either."

"But we… we just left here there! All alone!" The tears started flowing again and she hid her face in his jacket

"Shh…" Tex stroked her hair. "There was nothing we could do. Jay can take care of herself, you know that. You've trained with her, right?" Crowe nodded slowly and Tex went on. "Plus look at Wes. This was the second time he was at deaths door and he pulled through. Mind you he had some help, but that's beside the point. Their family is a strong one." At the mention of family, Crowe gave a small sob. "Oh, Crowe," he whispered as he lay his cheek on the top of her head. "Everything will turn out alright."

"How do you know?"

"I just do," Tex answered gently.

"But-"

"Hey," Tex placed his hand under her chin and turned her flushed face up to him. "Trust me?"

Crowe gazed deep into his crimson orbs as he stroked her face gently. Slowly she nodded and he smiled. "Good girl," Leaning down he stole a swift kiss from her, leaving the girl blushing slightly and smiling. Tex smirked and placed a hand on either side of her face. "That's what I like to see."

Crowe wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him closer, raising her face to his. "You're the best… but you're still a dorkweed."

Tex grinned. "I know," he whispered. He pulled her face up and met her lips again, this time in a much deeper kiss. He smirked as her hold around him tightened and she stood up on her tip toes.

Crowe pulled back suddenly and stifled a yawn, her eye lids drooping slightly. Tex swiftly picked her up, blanket and all, and moved over to the large tan couch. As he leaned over to lay her down, she grabbed his collar and pulled him with her. "Stay," she ordered gently. He smiled down at her and rubbed his nose against hers.

"Of course, but I get to be on the bottom," he winked. Crowe smiled and allowed him to lift her up, sliding under her and laying her back down on his chest. When curled up, she seemed so much smaller, only taking up about half of the space he did, if that.

Tex wrapped his arms around his girl and held her protectively. "Try to get some sleep, baby," he whispered in her ear.

Crowe peeked out at him from under her lashes. "You too, love." Tex smiled and kissed her forehead. In response Crowe nuzzled her nose up against his chin. She was about to say goodnight when a small shuffling sound reached her ears. She looked up past Tex's head, the boy watching her movements then following her gaze.

Another figure now stood in the spot vacated by Crowe not to long ago. This form much smaller and playing with his hands nervously. Tex smiled at Jay-Jay and asked, "You okay kid?"

The little blond boy bit his lip as if embarrassed about what he was about to say. "I… I can't sleep and… and I… don't want to disturb Rose," the nine year old said softly. He rubbed his eyes and the two teens noted the tear stains trailing down his cheeks.

Tex sat up slightly and beckoned the boy forward. "Hey, you always welcome with us."

When Jay-Jay hesitated Crowe also gestured him over. "It's alright. Well make it a party."

Jay-Jay nodded and padded over to the side of the couch. Crowe smiled at him and raised the blanket, inviting him in. "It's alright. I don't bite hard."

The boy smiled lightly and climbed up onto the little free space on the couch, curling up on the edge as if to not crowd the two teens. Tex wrapped his arm around the child and swept him up close to them, Crowe doing her part and laying the blanket over the trio, her arm slipping around the nine year old. Jay-Jay seemed a little surprised at their friendly actions, but soon snuggled between the two Silver Falcons, his head resting lightly on Tex's chest. Tex and Crowe exchanged a look and smiled. They were starting to understand a little of the deep love Rose and her brothers shared. Something Tex never had, and Crowe had lost before she was even two.

No less then twenty minuets later the three of them were sound asleep, Jay-Jay wedged protectively between the boy and girl. Crowe lay with her head nestled in the crook of Tex's neck, one of her arms around Jay-Jay. The rust haired teen had one arm around his girlfriend, the other around the boy he had become recently close to. The next morning when Piper came downstairs to start breakfast, she found them like that, still asleep despite the rays of sun filtering across them.

* * *

"How are you doing Rose?" Mikey asked coming up behind the brown haired girl.

Roseate looked up from her book and smiled at the older teen. "Im doing better now, thank you, Mikey."

"Anything you want me to do?" he asked.

She smiled lightly and shook her head. "No no. I can't ask you to do things in my own home."

Mikey shrugged. "I don't mind, but okay. If you need anything don't hesitate to call." He turned to go, stepping to the side as Yuro bounded in.

"Rose?" the ten year old asked as he skidded to a stop in front of his sister. Jay-Jay appeared close behind, looking up at his sister with huge eyes. "Can we go play by the waterfall?"

"Please?" Jay-Jay added.

Rose closed her book and uncurled herself, keeping her page with her finger. "I don't know… It's kinda far and with us not knowing anything about the war."

She saw the boy's faces fall and it stabbed her heart slightly. They had been so good lately, doing everything that was asked of them without hesitation and staying quite and out of the way. She sighed and smiled. "Alright. Just give me a few minuets to get ready."

Mikey stepped forward then. "I'll take them. You should really stay here and rest a little longer."

Rose hesitated since she didn't really know Mikey all that well yet, but when Yuro ran over and tugged the older teen towards the door she consented. "Okay. But please take Haron with you."

Mikey nodded as he was dragged out the door. Jay-Jay whistled and their faithful dog trotted out of the kitchen and followed him out the door.

Roseate watched through the large front window as her little brothers raced their dog across the yard and into the trees, Mikey close behind. She smiled softly and rested her chin on her hand, her elbow propped up on the arm of the chair. "Be safe," she said softly.

"You left them in good hands," Crowe smiled as she sat down on the couch she had woken up on. Tex came in and leaned on it behind her, Rose noticing the unusual gentleness in the air around them.

"You did," Tex nodded.

"Mikey is a sweetheart." The trio looked up as Piper came down the stairs, Aerrow at her heels.

The red head paused and pretended to take offence. "Excuse me?"

Piper turned and wrapped her arms around him. "But you're my everything and more."

Aerrow smiled and returned the hug. "I know."

Crowe nodded. "Mikey most certainly is though. I should know."

Rose blinked. "What do you mean?" she asked as Aerrow joined Piper on the couch next to Crowe.

"I grew up with him actually. He lived next door to me for as long as I can remember. You see," Crowe took a deep breath, having never shared this with anyone outside her team before. Tex put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly and she went on. "Im adopted. The people I grew up with were not my real family. I have no idea where I come from or who I am. I was never told anything other then that my name was Crowe and I was adopted. It was hard, but Mikey was always there when I needed him. He's like a brother to me."

Aerrow and Piper exchanged a look, never expecting the cunning girl to be so open. But then again, silver hair was not something people came by a lot. In fact, Crowe was the only one either of them had met with it, and they had met a lot of people.

Crowe looked down and played with the ends of her sleeves, not really sure if she would regret what she had just told them all. Lately she had been having doubts about all her actions, not knowing for sure what their outcome would be. And her past had always been a touchy subject, something she didn't particularly like to talk about.

She jumped slightly as a pair of arms slid around her shoulders. "You did good," Tex whispered, his breath tickling her ear. "I know it's hard." He kissed the side of her neck softly and she smiled.

* * *

"Jay-Jay! Catch!" Yuro called to his younger brother as the ball soared into the air. Heron ran under it, barking and leaping around trying to catch it.

"I got it! I got it!" Jay-Jay called excitedly. He reached up and the ball fell into his outstretched hands as he tumbled into the grass laughing. Heron ran up and licked the boys face rapidly, only adding to the boys giggles. "Oi, get off Heron."

"Hey Mikey," Yuro bounced up to the older teen who was watching from a nearby rock. "Wanna play with us?"

"Please?!" Jay-Jay added as back up, again.

Mikey blinked in surprise, then smiled. "Sure. I guess I can do that."

The boys cheered and pulled him up, running back to their spots. Jay-Jay reached for the ball, but his hand came in contact only with air. He looked down in surprise at where he had left it, an indent in the grass the only evidence it was ever there. Jay-Jay looked around franticly until he remembered. "Heron!" he called.

The dog was a little way off, standing stalk still with his nose in the air and his tail straight out. The ball lay dropped at his front paws, drool sliding off its smooth edges.

"Heron!" Yuro tried but the dog didn't move.

Mikey frowned, sensing the dog saw or felt something that they couldn't. "Boys," he said softly. "Come here."

Jay-Jay who had started moving towards Heron paused at the tone of Mikey's voice. The teen pulled him back, moving in front of them protectively. He didn't know what kept the dog so entranced, but he didn't wish to take any chances.

A slight rustle in the bushes got a low growl from the dog and Mikey pushed they boys a step back. They shrank behind him, not knowing quite what to make of the situation.

Suddenly Heron's tail went up and started wagging rapidly. Mikey blinked in surprise as the dog let out a happy yip and trotted forward a couple steps. He looked up, and could almost feel that, if he had one, his tail would be wagging also.

Out from the foliage stepped a very tiered and very unaware Jay, her golden hair lose and falling down around her face in gentle strands. She leaned up against a tree, gazing across the clearing at the three figures as if she couldn't quite see them clearly. "M…Mikey?"

"Jay!" Mikey cried. He rushed across the distance between them and caught her just before she fell. Kneeling down slowly he smiled at her, Yuro and Jay-Jay coming up behind him. "Are you alright?"

The girl nodded slowly. "Yah. Tiered. Sore." She sighed and smiled at them. "But glad to be back with friendly people." She pulled herself back to her feet using his shoulder, swaying a little.

"Boys," Mikey said scooping Jay up in his arms. "You don't mind heading home early do you?" He couldn't seem to wipe the grin off his face.

"I get to tell everybody first!" Jay-Jay cried already charging through the trees.

"Not fair!" Yuro shot off after him. "I want to! You got a head start!" Heron gave a puppy like yip and ran an excited circle around Mikey's legs before taking off after the boys.

"Mikey," Jay said softly. "I can walk you know." She couldn't help a smile as the boys ran off, Heron quickly overtaking them.

"I know," was all that answered her. She shook her head and laughed lightly.

"Fine. But just this once," she teased.

"Oh?" Mikey raised an eyebrow good naturedly. "And what about that time I hauled you all the way across Terra Neon?"

Jay shot him a look. "That didn't count." Mikey just laughed.

"Its good to have you back, Jay."

"Its good to be back," Jay answered quietly.

* * *

Rose looked up from her book once again as Herons rapid barking increased in volume, growing nearer with each second. She quickly closed her book and stood up, her gaze turning out the window. Piper peered around her curiously, Aerrow's red hair poking out from behind her.

"Is something wrong?" Crowe asked still in her position on the couch. Tex straightened up behind her and gazed at the door, as if able to see through it.

"I hope not," Rose watched the tree line, her muscles tense and ready to mobilize at the slightest sign of danger for her bothers. A dark shadow shot from the woods, Herons barks echoing from it. Jay-Jay and Yuro appeared a second later, pushing and grabbing at each other in a mad race to reach the house first. Rose's fear retreated when she recognized the signs of boyish play, and her curiosity was thoroughly aroused at why they were running to get home. They never moved that fast when she called them in for bed.

"What's with the all that barking?" Finn called from the kitchen, poking his head into the hallway with his hands over his ears. "Dude, Rose. Let your dog in already!"

Rose laughed and moved to the door, Finn moving out into the center of the hallway to get a better view of what all the commotion was. Junko's head moved out from around the kitchen doorway, a hardy sandwich with a large bite taken out of it in his hand. He and Finn exchanged a confused look as he chewed.

Roseate swept the door open and moved over to the side as Heron shot in. The dog, tongue flapping out of the side of his mouth, leapt at the first person he saw, that being the blond sharpshooter.

"Ahhh!" Finn cried as he was tackled to the floor and nearly licked to death. "Get off you mangy mutt!" He got another very slobbery dog kiss in reply. Tex nearly fell over the couch laughing and Crowe held him up, also laughing.

"I couldn't have done any better Heron," she giggled.

"Shut up and help get this fur ball off of me!" Finn cried.

"Rose! Rose!" Jay-Jay and Yuro squeezed in the door at the same time, both chanting their sisters name.

"Guess what!" Jay-Jay tugged at her shirt.

"You'll never guess!" Yuro challenged.

"We were out playing when-" Jay-Jay started.

"Jay-Jay lost the ball and-" Yuro chimed in.

"I didn't lose it! Heron took it!"

"Okay so Heron took the ball and-"

"He started to act funny so-" Jay-Jay cut back in.

"Hey!" Yuro turned on Jay-Jay. "Im telling the story!"

"Are you following any of this?" Aerrow whispered in Piper's ear.

"Not a word," she muttered back. Radarr hopped off of Aerrow's shoulder and sat on the ground next to Heron, the two animal's heads moving back and fourth as the boys took turns cutting each other off.

"Boys please," Rose shushed them. "Remember. Wes is sleeping."

"Oh, sorry," Yuro lowered his voice.

"Yah. Sorry Rose," Jay-Jay mumbled.

"Now," she kneeled down to their level. "What is so important that you ran all the way back here?"

The two boys exchanged a grin in which everyone in the room leaned in a little. Suddenly they jumped in the air and choused, "JAY'S BACK!!" not caring how loud they were.

There was complete silence and the nine and ten year old ran back out the door, searching for Mikey as proof. Tex and Crowe exchanged a look along with Piper and Aerrow. Finn stared out the door blankly and Junko started. Rose blinked and looked around at all them.

Crowe was the first to move, shooting up from the couch and pressing her face to the window. Her eyes locked on Mikey and zoned in on the figure he was carrying. "It's true!" she shouted. "Jay!" She sprang at Tex who caught her in a huge hug and spun her around.

"What did I tell you?" he laughed.

"You were right!" Crowe said half in relief and half in surprise. "That's a first!" Tex smiled, choosing to ignore her comment.

Piper looked at Aerrow, the red head grinning back. She threw her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder, tears of relief running down her face. He wrapped her in his warm embrace and held her tightly, to happy to form words. Stork walked in then, looking around at everyone as if they had gone crazy. Junko grabbed him up in a huge hug, letting out a whoop which left the merb's ears ringing.

After a second of being stunned, Finn shoved himself off the carpet and shot out the door, searching for Mikey and the two boys. They were just making their way across the lawn, Mikey setting Jay back on her feet, when he spotted them.

"No way," he breathed, then shouted. "NO WAY!"

Jay looked up and blinked, then smiled and let go of Mikey's arm, making her way across towards him more steadily then she had been moving when found. Finn bounded down the steps and sprinted across the grass, sweeping her up in his arms and spinning around with the force of his speed.

The sound of her laughter was like a song that he hadn't herd for way to long. He smiled even wider as he set her back on her feet and pulled her close. "Thank god you're not hurt!" he said, trying to keep his voice from cracking with emotion. He spoke to soon though as Jay whimpered. He pulled back and looked at her.

"Sorry," she pointed to her wounded shoulder. "Just minor damage."

Finn winced as he glanced at the gash and looked back up at her blood and sweat covered face. Reaching up he placed a hand on each side of it, brushing her hair out of her eyes. She smiled and nuzzled his hands, but before either of them could say anything Jay was tackled in a huge hug by Crowe.

"Jay! Oh my god! Welcome back!" the silver haired girl cried.

Jay laughed. "Its good to be back," she repeated as she returned the hug. Pulling back she was grabbed from behind and her hair was promptly messed up.

"You gave us quite a scare for a little there, Jay," Tex grinned, releasing her.

Jay turned and gave her pilot a tight hug. "Trust me, I was scared also."

After hugs from a teary Piper and grinning Aerrow, she looked around. "How's Wes doing?" she asked softly.

Rose came up behind Jay and said in a very motherly way, "He's doing fine now. Just sleeping." She smiled and looked at the blonds shoulder in concern. "We should probably get you cleaned up."

Jay nodded and smiled, her hand going to the base of her neck, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the hollow spot above her sternum. That's when they all noticed.

"No…" Piper whispered. Aerrow's head turned in the direction of Cyclonia, Crowe and Tex exchanging a look of horror. Finn's eyes went wide and Mikey cursed loudly. Jay and Rose were out of ear shot though, already passing through the doorway and into the house.

"Did… did you see it?" Crowe asked the group around her. They all shook their heads.

"Its gone…" Finn muttered. "The Azure stone is gone…" Then it all hit them. Besides the fact that Cyclonis now had the power to destroy whole terra's, Jay might not have long to live.

* * *

AN: PLEASE REVIEW!


	15. End of it for now

AN: Wow... I've been gone for like, ever! Holy crud people! lol. Oh well, here is the final chapter of OOTM. I thought I should finish it up before I forget. Stay tuned for another story Bkipper and I will be comming out with soon! lol.

Disclaimer: Dont own storm hawks blah blah blah

Parings: If you've read the whole thing you know

* * *

Regarding her tiered face with a sigh, Jay stood in front of the mirror as Roseate followed her in and gently closed the door. The brown haired girl turned and drew a pair of large, fluffy white towels out of a cupboard under the sink, placing them on the floor beside the shower before turning to Jay.

The blond was working on peeling off her ripped jacket while at the same time trying not to move her damaged shoulder too much. It was a slow and painstaking task but she finally succeeded, slipping it down her arms and off her wrists.

"Here, I'll take that," Rose said, plucking the jacket from the counter and aimlessly tossing it into the laundry hamper.

"Thanks," Jay replied. She smiled at Rose who smiled back, and then turned to examine the wound that's throbbing had settled to a dull ache.

It was worse then she had originally thought. When she had been at Cyclonia, Jay hadn't even stopped to look at it; she hadn't had the time, but had imagined it to be pretty bad. Not this bad. Now, with the absence of her jacket, the full extent of the damage was relevant.

"Ouch." Rose cringed at the sight of the now purplish gash. Somehow Cyclonis's staff had sliced through all but the casing on one side of Jay's tank strap, leaving it hanging together by literally a couple threads.

"Ouch," Jay repeated with a nod. She reached over and slid the strap down over her arm, gaining more open access to the wound; doing the same with her bra strap.

"I can heal that for you," Rose offered almost immediately. She moved around Jay to the pearl white sink, turning on the cold water. Suddenly she hesitated, staring at the water that streamed down around her hands.

Memories. Those horrid memories that she had accidentally taken from Wes came flooding back. The images she had worked so hard to lock in the back of her mind pushed to the front. A sigh hitched in her throat and the weary girl shook her head. "Go away… just go away…"

Jay looked up, her eyes confused and concerned. "Rose?" She moved over to the other teen and gently reached out. "What wrong?"

The sigh finally exhaled and Rose managed to meet Jay's deeper blue gaze. "Jay, there is something you need to know. I…" Why was she finding this so hard to tell Wes's sister? "When I healed your bother, I… I tampered with his mind. I didn't mean to, it just… happened. Now, now I share his memories. Those recent, and those most painful from his past; at least that is what I assume from what I have seen." She bowed her head, hair falling in front of her face like a curtain, but Jay could see the pain and weariness in the girl's features. She could read it like a book it was so obvious. "I'm sorry"

"No," Jay smiled softly after a pause. "No you have nothing to be sorry about. It was not your fault. You had no way of knowing." She stepped forward and looked into the mirror. "It should be I apologizing to you. I owe you so much Rose. You saved Wes, and I don't know if there is anything in the world that could make up for that."

The water streamed down her hands, coating Rose's fingers in a glove that reached almost up to her elbows. As she walked to Jay, a stream of water followed her like a loyal dog. Without a word she began to work the water into the wound, the crystalline liquid glowing softly as it seemingly melted into Jay's skin. Finally, she spoke. "Let's not argue about this." She smiled softly. "It's a moot point now." Rose left it at that, too tiered to argue any longer.

Jay just nodded, watching the girl work on her shoulder. The water seeped into the blood soaked area, cleaning it as new skin laced itself over the opening, closing it up with little to no pain. She blinked. "How did you do that?"

Rose did answer until the last drop of shimmering liquid had disappeared into Jay's tan skin, then pulled her hands back and dried them on her shirt hem. "It's a long story."

"Oh," Jay simply replied. She could tell Rose was hesitant to tell her, and didn't press the matter.

But Rose appeared to have other things in mind. "This helps a lot though." Extending her arm, she reviled the water crystal in her wrist, veins flowing around it as if completely unaware of its existence, and proceeded to tell Jay the story of it.

"It's a type of water crystal, I believe. When I was younger I fell as my father and I were crystal hunting. This one cut me, but there was no blood or pain. I've had it ever since." Rose explained. She blinked when finished, not quite sure why she had just told an almost complete stranger her deepest secret. But, she had the feeling, the strangest feeling, that Jay understood better then anyone.

In turn, Jay smiled and nodded. "Trust me, I understand perfectly." She then told Rose her story.

"Back when I was young, two or three I think, our family went on a picnic. It was my birthday, and for some reason we decided just to make it a family thing. Well my mom and I went exploring while Dad was helping Wes practice his aim. I found my crystal; the Azure stone is what most call it, and kept it. I didn't tell anybody. That is, until weird things started happening. Small explosions when I got angry, getting sick a lot, stuff like that. My dad found the crystal one day, and mom knew what it was. From then on, it's been bonded to me…" she smiled helplessly, knowing that her story may seem incomplete, but it was all she was willing to share at the moment.

Her tale was followed by a short silence, which Rose soon broke. "Well," she stood from her spot on the rim of the bathtub. "I suspect you are just about dieing for a shower." Her hair rustled as she did a quick circle, scanning the softly painted room. "Um, towels are here," she patted the stack, "and I'm sure you can figure out how the shower works. Oh! And when your done go ahead into my room. It's through that door. I'll see what I can do about getting you some clean clothes." She smiled and reached for the gold doorknob.

"Just ask Crowe to get some from the Osprey," Jay offered. She got to her feet and moved over to the shower as Rose opened the door.

"Alright," the brunette nodded. "I will do that."

"Oh, and Rose?"

"Yes?"

Jay's back was to her, but Rose could tell that the fatigue was taking a toll on the other girl. "Thank you again, for everything. Especially for saving Wes."

Rose just smiled softly. "Now were even, and I'm just glad I could help." Leaving it at that, Rose shut the door with a soft click and set off to find Crowe.

Jay stood for a moment, just staring at the floor. Her mind went blank as if not able to operate without fear or worry. With a soft rustle of fabric, the remaining threads of Jay's tank top fell to the floor, followed closely by her ripped and stained jeans. As her bra joined the rapidly growing pile there was a muffled thud on the linoleum floor.

The Silver Falcon reached down and unfolded her necklace from the material, holding the Azure stone tightly between her fingers as she stepped into the steaming water. The stone was still a little warm in her palm, but it was a comforting warm. She finally realized it was all over.

She sighed and leaned her head up against the cool tile wall, letting the water stream down her beaten and tiered body. Red and brown water swirled around her feet before disappearing down the drain to nothingness.

And Jay wept. They had been beat the odds, both Silver Falcons and Storm Hawks alike. They had all went through hell, and lived to tell about it. And for that, Jay wept.

* * *

"Anybody seen Wes?" Rose's voice grew as she poked her head into the kitchen, her question addressed to the small group residing there. Junko, Mikey, and Finn all looked up at the same time. "I went to see if he was awake," Rose went on, stepping fully into the doorway. "But it looks like he's already up."

The three boys exchanged a look. None of them had seen the Sky Knight for a long time, let alone knew he had gotten up. "Sorry Rose," Mikey shrugged for the three of them. "We haven't seen him."

"I'll help you look," Finn volunteered. "I mean he can't be far right?"

"No, I don't suppose so." Roseate turned and led him out the door. "Thanks you."

Finn shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged a no problem as he walked down the hall beside Rose, his usual obnoxious behavior quieted by the storm of thoughts in his mind.

"I can't believe he got out without anyone noticing," Rose marveled.

"Yeah," his reply was absent, and Rose glanced at him curiously. Finally, he had to ask and blurted, quite loudly; "Is Jay okay?"

A slow grin spread across her face and she cast a sideways glance at the blond. "I was wondering when you were going to ask." Finn blushed a deep shade of red and Rose giggled. "She's fine, don't worry."

"What about her shoulder?" Finn prodded. "Was it really bad? Will it heal completely?"

"It was a deep but clean wound so it was an easy fix for me." She patted his shoulder. "After a couple hours rest she should be good as new." Finn seemed satisfied with that and fell silent, a small content smile on his lips.

Just as the pair reached the front door it opened and Crowe waltzed in, an assortment of clothes in her arms. "Hey, don't see you two together very often," she teased.

"Nope," Rose agreed. "Something must be wrong with me."

Crowe nodded in agreement. "Definitely. Don't hang around with him to long or you might find yourself… different." She winked.

"What?" The sharpshooter looked confused.

"My point exactly." Crowe and Rose giggled, the silver haired girl taking to the stairs.

"Oh Crowe!" Finn suddenly remembered.

"Yes dorkshooter?"

"Have you seen… wait; what did you just call me?"

"Never you mind." Crowe disappeared up the stairs. "And I think I saw Wes going towards the sun room, but I can't be sure."

"Thanks!" Rose took the words right out of Finn's mouth and led them towards the sun room, a small smirk of her face. It faded, however, when the neared the room.

"Listen Jay-Jay, just leave me alone!" A muffled but harsh voice echoed through the wooden door. A second later the door to the sun room banged open and a teary eyed Jay-Jay stumbled out.

"Jay-Jay?" Rose knelt down as the nine year old ran to her. "What happened?"

"W…Wes…" the boy sniffed, "called me a liar and yelled at me."

Rose blinked. "He did? Why?"

"I just told him Jay was back, but he didn't believe me!"

Roseate stood and offered her hand out to her brother. "Well let's go set him straight." Her tone was cheerful, but she cast a worried glance at Finn. The blond returned it, though his more confused.

Crowe, who had been coming down the stairs at the time, paused to listen. A small frown creased her face. It was not like her leader to yell at anyone, let alone a small innocent boy, even if Jay-Jay wasn't all that innocent.

The stealth agent slid on the banister down to the bottom of the staircase, not even missing a step on the landing. Silver strands swished across her shoulder as she passed through the doorway into the living room. Inside she found Aerrow, Piper, Stork, and Tex all engrossed in a serious game of poker. Judging from the large pile of animal crackers in front of him, the merb was winning.

Crowe moved up behind Tex and looked at his cards. A smirk decorated her face and her eyes moved up at Aerrow with a wink. He grinned and nodded to Piper, who in turn signaled to Stork.

"I fold," Piper said with a sigh, laying her cards down on the low wooden table.

"Me too," Aerrow followed suit.

"What?" Tex blinked.

"Let's see what you got Falcon," Stork challenged with a smirk. His cards hovered close to his face, only his eyes peering slyly over the top. "Unless you're going to just give up."

"Now way! I'm feeling lucky this hand!" He threw down his cards. An ace and three kings. "Ha, beat that merb!"

But Stork was already gathering up all of his newly won crackers. Before him four cards were spread, three aces and a king. "I think I will," he smirked.

Crowe giggled and tousled Tex's hair. "Nice try dorkweed, nice try."

Tex grumbled and waved her away as if shooing away a fly. "What do you want Crowe?"

The smile faded from her face as she told them what she had just overheard. Aerrow and Piper exchanged a look as Tex tilted his head back to meet her gaze. She tugged gently on his sleeve. "I'm gonna need backup."

"Yeah…" he replied slowly as he got to his feet. To say the least, he was perplexed as to why his usually calm and cool leader would lash out as Crowe described. It just wasn't Wes. He knew Aerrow and Piper were probably thinking the same thing as they followed the pair out to the hall, Stork silently offering to clean up the cards. As they passed the kitchen, Tex waved for Mikey to come, and barely noticed when Junko joined the now large group.

It was Crowe who reached the sun room first, and pushed the door open, not even pausing as she strolled in, the group at her heels. But she pulled up short, the scene before her causing the sudden action.

"I don't believe you guys! I know your just trying to make me feel better, but would you really sink so low as to lie to me?! Give me false hope?!" He was standing in front of a chair that he had obviously just vacated. Piper had never seen Wes look so angry, rage plastered on his face and only reassured by the fists balled at his sides. It was a little unnerving.

Rose herself was starting to look a little bit distressed as she tried to sooth the fired up sixteen year old. "Wes…"

"Were not lying!" Obviously Wes's anger had seeped into the blond sharpshooter for he was getting riled up as well. The older blond ignored Finn, however, and instead turned on Rose.

"I can understand _him _lying," Wes jabbed his finger at Finn, "but you Rose? I honestly thought you were better then that!"

The brunette looked like she had been slapped in the face as his words hit her, pale blue eyes wide and hurt as she took a small step back.

"Wes!" Finn cried, his hands flying up above his head in exasperation. "That was way out of line!"

"Im out of line?!" Wes took a menacing step towards his sisters boyfriend; the Storm Hawk standing his ground. Crowe moved up between them, shaking off the static that flowed between the blonds.

"Wes…" she tried.

"You're the one who's out of line!" Again, Wes ignored her. "In case you haven't noticed my sister, the girl I trusted _you _to protect, is gone! And she's not coming back!"

"But Wes!" Crowe tried again.

"This is all your fault!" Wes roared. He had had enough of people trying to comfort him, trying to divert the fault to Cyclonis; enough holding in his anger. He lunged towards the sharpshooter, and when Crowe tried to stop him, he simply shoved her aside.

She stumbled back and slammed into a side table, catching her heel and landing on the floor a second later. "Ouch," she growled, rubbing her bruised shin.

"Hey!" Tex knew things were getting out of hand when Wes turned on his own teammates. He would never do something like that. Never. Hurrying to her side, he watched in slight anger as Aerrow and Mikey grabbed Wes's arms, restraining him inches before he reached Finn with his fists.

"Wes, calm down!" Mikey was trying.

Piper had taken up Crowe's position and moved between them, doing her best to keep the completely irrational Finn back. "Come on you guys. This is stupid!"

But Finn was too angry to take any notice of anything but his opponent. "My fault?!" he fired back, pushing past Piper. She and Junko managed to get a hold on him, but not before he lashed out with his mouth. "How the hell was I supposed to know Cyclonia was stalking our every freaking move?!"

"We had no idea where you went!" Wes shot back.

Jay-Jay clung to Rose's hand, not sure what to do. Everyone was yelling something or another, the loudest being the two blonds in the center. Naturally, he glanced around for his brother, but Yuro was no where to be found.

Then his navy eyes caught the door creak open slightly and Yuro poke his head in. He pulled it out and a second later it opened more, the brown haired ten year old tugging at something. Everyone else was to busy yelling at each other to notice Yuro lead Jay in by the hand.

Jay blinked at the occupants of the room before her, quickly noting the fact that her brother and Finn were just about at each others throats. Averting her eyes for a second, she knelt down by Yuro and patted his head. "Thanks Yuro. I'll take it from here." She straightened up and stepped forward slightly. "Wes…" she said softly.

"Let me go Mikey! I order you too!" Wes struggled against his captors, blue green eyes flashing dangerously.

"Wes," Jay tied again, a little louder.

"Let me at the backstabbing bastard!"

"Shut up!" Finn almost managed to rip an arm free, and Piper struggled to hold on. "It's not my fault!"

With a small sigh, Jay sucked in a breath and hitched it in the back of her throat. She took one more step forward and balled her fists. "WESTON CROSS VANDIA!"

The whole room froze, silence falling like a lead balloon over them as all eyes shifted to the new arrival. Crowe's shoulders sagged in relief and she exchanged a look with Tex. _Finally!_ It said.

Wes stopped, barely noticing when his captors released his arms and they fell, limply, to his sides. Blue green orbs wide, he didn't know if he was actually seeing what was before him, or if his desperate mind was just playing tricks on him. Either way, his mind went blank and he found he couldn't move.

Jay's expression immediately softened and in two strides she was in front of her brother, wrapping her arms around his shoulders tightly. Slowly, hesitantly, his arms came up to embrace her back, fingers tense as his hands trembled with emotion. The expression on his face remained that of shock, as if he was waiting for the girl before him to just disappear, like a dream just out of his reach. She stood patiently, holding him tightly as she silently said: _It's alright. I'm here._

A long second later Wes's arms shot up around her fully, his fingers digging into her back as his head fell to her shoulder, still not quite believing.

Jay looked up and around at the others, all of which had not bothered to move. "If it's alright," she spoke softly. "I'd like to talk to Wes alone."

Roseate nodded for the entire group. "Of course." She turned and ushered the others towards the door. Tex pulled Crowe to her feet, both of them casting a glance at their sibling teammates.

Finn was the only one who hesitated. He started to take a step forward, but Piper gently grabbed his arm. She shook her head and led him down towards the door, pushing him through before following, Aerrow close at her heels.

Jay held her brother until they all left, and then kept holding him. Raising her hand she rubbed his back soothingly. That's when she felt it; a tremble that ran down his spine. "Wes?" she asked softly. "Are you crying?"

He shook his head no, but Jay could feel that silent sobs raking through his body, the force doubled by his effort to keep them inside. Despite the situation, she smiled softly to herself and lay her head on top of his. "Oh Wes." That was all she could say at the moment, and let her arms do the comforting for her.

* * *

"Do you think everything's okay in there?" Piper whispered to Rose. It had been over an hour since the group had left Jay and Wes and the three girls were in the kitchen, working to prepare a snack for the mid afternoon.

"I sure hope so," Roseate sighed. "I never expected Wes to act that way. He just doesn't seem like the type that would lash out like that."

"He's not," Crowe said as she rested against the kitchens center island. The short girl rested her elbows on the counter, propping her head on her hands. "I've never seen him so angry. But I guess everyone has to let it out sometime in some form or another."

A soft click alerted the girls that the sun room door had been opened, then shut again. They fell silent, watching the entrance way to the kitchen expectantly. Sure enough, Jay walked in a few second later, smiling at them all as she took up a spot next to Crowe.

The all looked at her expectantly.

"Wes is going to apologize," she said. "He's alright now, but thoroughly embarrassed." She shook her blond ponytail slightly. "And particularly sorry to you Rose, but I'll let him tell you himself."

Piper relaxed along with the others, and smiled. "Well that's good to hear."

"Yeah."

A short silence followed in which Piper suddenly asked, "What about Finn? Wes seemed to have a point…"

Jay quickly waved her question away. "That's mainly what we talked about. He was greatly opposed to Finn and I being together for he thought it would just put me in more danger. I had to explain to him that even if I hadn't gone off with him, Cyclonis still probably would have found me eventually, and it could have ended a lot worse." She sighed. "He still doesn't particularly approve of our relationship, but he is willing to give Finn another chance. Trust will need to be rebuilt though, and Wes will not give it out so easily."

"At least he's being smart about it," Crowe pointed out. "Wes, that is." Jay nodded.

"Psst." The girls turned to the new voice, finding Tex poking his head into the room. "You guys have to come see this. It's not everyday you get to see Wes apologize for something like this."

"Don't tease him Tex," Crowe scolded. "He's been through so much these past few days."

"We all have," Jay agreed with a nod. She herself felt that she had done quite a bit of growing up, and started to find herself wondering what the future would bring.

"Alright, your loss." Tex shrugged and turned to go, then suddenly paused. "Oh, and Crowe? You still owe me a cookie."

Rose, Piper and Jay all laughed as Crowe promptly chased him out of the room. "I owe you nothing dorkweed!"

* * *

AN: And thats it people! Please review


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